Gone Baby Gone
by OhMyWord
Summary: When she finds out she's been dating a walking conspiracy theory, Bella Swan is forced to run, leaving behind everything she knows. Reluctantly, she teams up with a certain bronze-haired scientist who is about to get a lot more than he bargained for.
1. Prologue: Run

Gone Baby Gone

Prologue: Run

Isabella Dwyer died on January 9th at 8:37p.m.

Bella Swan was born one hour, twenty minutes later.

…

8:59p.m.

There was no time. She hadn't thought getting away would be a real possibility so she hadn't prepared with any idea of where she might go and what she might need. She darted from her dresser to her closet, reaching out to grab the little bag hidden in the pocket of an old coat. There was some cash in there, not much, but enough to get her out of state; it was wrapped around her passport, which she also grabbed. She doubted she'd be able to leave the country, too dangerous, but she wanted it anyway, just in case.

She stuffed it in her duffel, trying to ignore the little niggling voice that said he had the power to find her anywhere. But in the darkness of the night, the voice was loud.

Into the bag, she added her wallet and her phone. She slipped her keys into her jean's pocket. At the last second, she saw some things on the nightstand. She held the bag open and swept her arm over the surface, dumping all the contents inside.

It was what her life amounted to, she thought bitterly. The duffel wasn't even full.

She pulled on a pair of flat boots, nine hundred dollars, her mind supplied. She'd never wondered why he always had so much money. Working for the senator may have sounded nice, but the paychecks weren't. Of course there was more to it. She shook her head, there wasn't time for this.

She grabbed her coat, flipped the hood up because of the snow, and strode out the door. It slammed behind her and for a second she actually considered turning around and locking it. Instead, she jogged down the steps to hail a cab.

…

9:57p.m.

Bella Swan, she thought absently, shifting in her seat. It sounded nice and could have been her real name once upon a time.

The bus wasn't overly cramped, but she felt stiff and exhausted, the last shots of adrenaline draining from her system. She was too afraid to fall asleep, though. To keep herself awake, she went over everything that happened and everything she had yet to do.

She was bad at this. She'd never run away before, as a teenager, she'd never even left the house to see her friends without telling someone. She was voted most likely to succeed, got mostly straight A's, went to any ivy league school, and moved to Washington D.C. to try her hand at investigative journalism, something she was just a little too good at. _And just look at me now_, she thought, rubbing a hand over her eyes.

_He had her by the throat. He'd never touched her in anger before, ever. And now he had her by the throat._

_ Her heart beat wildly, her mind raced. Fight, it said, do something. _

_ You're better than this, you're stronger._

_ But nothing came except tears._

_ He was telling her she was a part of this now and that she wasn't going anywhere._

She was thinking that she should have known, that the vague fear she always had of him wasn't merely invented from nothing. But she was always too curious for her own good, and her suspicions captivated her attention. It was entirely backward; she should have left him, gone somewhere else, or lived in blissful ignorance. She shouldn't have followed him that night.

Too late for that though.

And now she was running.

* * *

Author's Note: I thought it might be nice to fight off the winter doldrums with a little political thriller. Multi-chapter, lots of mystery, a tough as nails Bella, and a neuroscientist Edward, any questions? Hope you enjoy :)

Thanks to jedigirlsc and SabLuvsLogan for pre-reading, and thanks to you guys for present-reading.


	2. One: Jet

One: Jet

Tuesday, January 11th  
12:01 a.m.

Isabella Dwyer was a blonde, had been for several years.

Bella Swan hated the color and especially the work that went into maintaining it. Aside from vanity though, it wasn't safe anymore - which was why she was searching the aisles at a 24-hour drug store for hair dye. She ignored the various shades that were so near to her current one and browsed the reds, the browns; she never realized how many shades of black there were. She had the tips of her fingers on a box marked _Jet _when the muffled clicking of footsteps on the tile distracted her.

It was nothing, she reasoned over the sound of her heartbeat. Someone else that can't sleep, someone buying a case of beer, someone that likes to do their shopping when no one else is around, _someone following me_ –

Bella dropped her hands to her sides and listened to the steady sounds of the only other customer in the store. The footsteps never stopped, slowed down, or paused.

There was a faint buzzing overhead – the fluorescents, and the weak sound of piped-in Muzak. It was too bright in the store, no corners for her to hide in, and no dark aisle for her to duck through. The only way out was through the front door, the back would set off the alarm. She'd checked when she got there.

Bella took a step toward the front, keeping it light, knowing her boots wouldn't be as silent as she wished. She took another, just as soft. She couldn't hear the other person anymore, only her heart and too loud breathing. She had a knife in her purse, but it wouldn't do much against a gun. That's what they carried – guns.

It could still be no one, she reminded herself. It was too fast for them to have found her already, right?

She put one foot in front of the other, faster now, cursing the store for being so open, making her so easy to spot.

Less than five yards to the door.

She sped up, seeing a male figure somewhere on her left.

Three yards.

Two.

"Hey," a voice called.

Manners won out and she glanced back, only for a second before she realized her mistake.

"You gonna pay for that?" The kid asked from behind the counter.

She looked down at her hand; she couldn't even remember picking up the box of dye. _Jet_, it said. "I – I -,"

A man stepped out from one of the aisles – brown hair, nondescript features, in a suit that looked like it had been worn all day, and…familiar? They looked at each other and she forgot all about the kid and his accusing stare. Bella was only a few feet from the door when she saw him reach inside his jacket.

She ran.

…

She met her boyfriend in college when he played a hero to her damsel. Bella was trying very kindly to turn down an overzealous advance at a local bar when he stepped in and did it for her. He moved into her space without actually touching her and told the other guy to get lost; it was easy and she was grateful.

When he got friendly, she grinned. "I never do this." She said over the noise of the other patrons.

He looked at her, like a cat watching a bird. "Why not?"

She had to lean in closer to be heard. "Well…because – you never meet nice, normal guys in bars."

He hmm'd at her. "True."

His name was Demetri. He was studying political science at the same university she attended, though he was a couple of years ahead. He was handsome in an angular way; his face both dangerous and disarming depending on how he looked at you.

A few months into their relationship, he took an internship with Marcus Salazar, a moderate politician just beginning to rise within the ranks of Washington.

A few months after that, Salazar offered him a job.

…

2:06 a.m.

Bella dropped her bag on the bed of her new motel room. After the drug store, she'd run back and stuffed her things away before taking off again – west, she thought. Now she was in the kind of place you could pay for by the hour. She closed the blinds, dismayed that the lights from the street still shone through.

She flipped the switch in the bathroom and squinted at the stark brightness. It flickered two or three times, but stayed lit. Opening the dye box, she read the instructions; she'd never done this to herself before. Bella wanted to cut her hair too, chop it all off into something severe, but she had no scissors. So instead, she set up the color and slipped on the too large plastic gloves before awkwardly combing the mixture through her bottle blonde hair.

In the confines of the bathroom, even with the door open, the smell was strong and it made Bella's eyes water. Or she was crying - she wasn't sure which. Ignoring it, she kept going until the bottle was empty. And then she waited.

…

Demetri always seemed to know where she was. He could always find her, always reach her. Bella couldn't say the same.

He worked long hours, but on what, she was never really sure. He was an aide to Marcus Salazar now, along with several others, only one of which she'd met.

Bella never thought of his busy schedule as anything more than an inconvenience. Adding it all up later though, she felt so stupid. But, then again, who really ever thinks they're dating a walking conspiracy theory?

…

Bella grabbed the little tube of hair conditioner and got in the shower, antsy to wash off the smelly dye. She stood under the hot spray, rinsing over and over, staining the tub a strange grayish color. For some reason, she thought of Norman Bates, and how they used chocolate syrup for the blood during the shower scene.

She glanced through the gauzy curtain at the bathroom door, which she'd left open.

The conditioner smelled better as she smoothed it onto her hair. He wasn't going to appear in the doorway, she thought. He probably hadn't been following her anyway. Most likely, no one was following her.

She was fine. She liked to tell herself that.

…

_It was staring her right in the face. The twin spots of blood on Demetri's collar and on the cuff of his shirt; it was stained brightly, like it was fresh. _

_ "Working late," he'd texted her the night before. Working late on what?_

…

It was that moment she kept coming back to, the very last minutes of her normal life. She could have still let it go, soaked the shirt in some cold water or just thrown it away. It could've been like it never happened.

Bella started wishing a lot after that. She wished that she'd never met Demetri, or that he'd gotten rid of the shirt himself. Why leave it, even half obscured the way it was, where she might find it? Perhaps if it had been under the bed or if she hadn't been paying attention, she wished that she'd just thrown it in the washing machine. She wished that she could go back to that day and do it over again.

But she knew without a doubt that if she could go back, she'd do everything the same. The deep-seeded curiosity was always there. She knew Demetri was keeping a dangerous secret, but what was it? And who was he keeping it for? The answer to her second question was obvious enough. She just needed proof.

Bella knew though, in a definite and unchangeable way that if she could go back, she'd look for answers and she'd find them because that's what she did.

…

There was a tiny smudge on her forehead. She hadn't really thought about it when she was applying the dye; Bella had just assumed it would wash off her skin when she rinsed out her hair. It didn't, and now she was scrubbing with the harsh motel soap, but the grayish spot barely faded. She cleaned until her skin was red and stinging and she felt like Lady Macbeth.

She dropped the wash cloth on the counter, her eyes wet and blurring. "Damn it."

Bella gave up for the night and left the cramped bathroom to climb into bed. She tried not to think about the last time the sheets were washed and drifted slowly into a restless sleep.

…

Thursday, January 13th  
6:00 p.m.

That day she happened to be in Jacksonville, North Carolina. It was a little over six hours from her home in Washington D.C. and not nearly far enough. Florida, maybe, she'd lived there with her mother for a short time. But she felt fairly safe at the moment, believing she could get lost there for one night.

Her back ached from the weight of the bag she refused to put down in her motel room, her legs were stiff from the too small bus seats, and she was certain she needed a shower. But more than that, she needed to walk. It was an unseasonably warm night and she wanted to feel the breeze on her face. She wanted to remind herself that she was still alive.

At first, she thought maybe there was something happening in town that night, but no one seemed to be going in any particular direction. Couples walked casually, kids held their parent's hands or tugged on coat sleeves, and no one was in a hurry. Bella had forgotten about this. She was used to a quicker pace and being undoubtedly late for something.

She looked over her shoulder as she bought a turkey sandwich, but no one was paying attention. Trying to blend in, she took her food across the street to the park and sat down on a bench. People watching, she thought, it was normal enough.

Bella bit into her sandwich and closed her eyes. It was fresh. She couldn't remember the last time she had something that wasn't stale or sitting under heat lamps. It was heavenly, which was not a descriptor she normally used, and she wanted another one.

"Hey," someone said on her left.

She stiffened, forcing herself to swallow what now felt like a rock in her throat.

"Is this seat taken?" He followed the question with a quiet laugh. "Sorry, that sounded less like a come on in my head." He had a soft, honeyed accent.

Bella looked up from his feet. He was blonde, not very tall, and generically handsome except for his eyes which were a glacial blue. She searched her memory for the face, but couldn't place it. It didn't necessarily mean she was safe, though he seemed casual and nothing like the man from the drug store – if that man was after her in the first place. The circles her mind made were dizzying and she realized after a moment that she hadn't said anything. "Hello."

His eyes moved to the space next to her and she smiled with some discomfort, scooting over so there would be space between them when he sat down. "Thanks, the other ones are taken…you looked the most normal." His grin was affable.

"Compliment?" She asked before she could stop herself.

"Of course." He made a small turn until he was in her space. "I'm James."

Bella opened her mouth to introduce herself. "B- nice to meet you," she said at the last minute.

"So, business or pleasure?"

She lied, saying it was a bit of both, not at all wondering how he knew she didn't live there.

He asked questions and she gave dodgy answers, but she couldn't deny the increasing calm she felt with his congenial manner. Soon enough, she was laughing along with him at some embarrassing story about his years in college. It was nice and he was right, she felt normal.

Bella was still smiling when he asked his next question.

"So, I've got to ask, what kind of business brings you to North Carolina all by your lonesome?"

"Oh, um -," she tried to come up with something plausible.

"Trouble back home?"

He leaned further into her space and her smile faded. "Why would you say-,"

"You're not – running away from something are you?" The last part was said without the Southern boy charm he'd been laying on so thickly. In fact, his accent had disappeared altogether. "Someone, maybe?"

Bella tensed to stand, but the sudden hand around her wrist stopped her. Automatically, she looked around for help. It had gotten dark without her noticing, the street had emptied, and she was alone. Despite his grip, she pulled back, but he only smiled while her skin burned from the force.

"Did you really think we wouldn't find you?"

His hold was tight as he stood, dragging her up with him.

_The knife_, her mind supplied. She yanked it from her pocket, opened it against her thigh, and jabbed it as hard as she could into his hand.

James growled in pain, his grasp only loosening, but it was enough that she was able to wrench herself free. He reached for her, anywhere, his bleeding hand slippery on her arm.

Run, she thought. Escape, disappear. And distantly, in a place she'd only forget with time, she wondered what it was that made her so important.

…

Friday, January 21st,  
5:27 p.m.

Bella wanted nothing more than to go to her father in Washington, but it was an impossibility. She knew because when she tried, they were waiting.

She'd hidden out at the Forks library, from its west facing windows she was able to see the front door of the diner Charlie frequented when she was a kid. This was before she learned to cook and before she stopped visiting altogether. Her mind wandered while she waited for the dinner hour to those awkward one-month-a-summer visits that became two week vacations with him in California that eventually became nothing at all.

She'd gotten in touch with him during college; this was after her mother moved away to travel with the new boyfriend. That conversation was just as stilted as all the others. But they became pretty good at e-mailing. With an e-mail, you can take your time; think about what to say and how to respond. Time was exactly what they needed.

Now they weren't show-up-on-your-doorstep close, but closer than they were before. Bella hoped it would be enough.

…

She noticed the car because it didn't belong in Forks, Washington. It looked like any other car, a mid-size sedan, green, no bumper stickers or other identifying marks, but she couldn't stop watching it.

It pulled in just after her father, parking nose-out in the far corner. No doors opened.

Charlie got out, taking the steps heavily to the diner entrance. He looked tired. And when had he gotten old? Or, not old, just older.

He went in, sat at the corner booth that Bella could barely make out, and ate dinner. And still, no one moved from the green sedan.

A half hour or so after he arrived, Charlie left, saying goodbye to someone in the parking lot. When he drove away, the green car drove away.

Bella stayed for three days until it was clear the tail wasn't there for Charlie. They were there for Bella because somehow Demetri knew she'd try and come here. Or knew that she was already here.

She watched Charlie drive to work one more morning, and then left Washington for good.

…

After that, Bella disappeared completely. Sitting in another crappy motel room, she emptied out her bag. "Stupid," she said out loud to herself. She hadn't known the first thing about going off the radar when she left.

The credit cards went, the driver's license, the cell phone, everything except her clothes and cash. In the bathroom, she broke her things and dumped them in the trash. After that, she used her knife to slice long, crude bangs. Under the harsh light, she looked strange with her black hair and sallow skin. The half moons under her eyes were almost purple. She'd never considered herself beautiful, but pretty enough. The contrast now was striking.

She smirked to herself, mumbling, "Try and find me now, asshole."

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks to you and to my pre-readers. Pictures for this story will be posted on my homepage soon.

Couple things - I'm participating in Fandoms Fight the Floods, a group raising money to help victims of the massive flooding in Australia. By donating, you'll receive a large compilation of one-shots, outtakes, etc, written by some awesome authors. You can find the link to the group's site, as well as a summary of the one-shot I'm writing, on my profile page. Donate!

Also, I'm a VIP author over at A Different Forest. It's a mighty nice place to hang out and the link for that is on my profile page as well.

And a little teaser, Edward is showing up in a big way in the next chapter.


	3. Two: Evade

Two: Evade

Friday, February 25th  
5:15 p.m.

Edward Cullen was very smart and remembered most everything. But when one is trying to approach a woman for the first time, she doesn't see them from across the room and notice their mind.

Luckily, Tanya Denali already knew him, sort of. They worked in the same department, anyway. And he'd been putting this off long enough. If he was honest with himself, he was putting it off because he didn't really want to date Tanya specifically, but his sister's boyfriend said he needed to "get out there." And Tanya was pretty and always nice to him when he came in to use the copier. She ended up doing it for him more often than not. He was a scientist, or he would be some day, but he couldn't work that machine to save his life.

"So," he half whispered to himself in the hallway, "I heard you like…Thai food…well, as it happens, so do I…," he tucked some lank hair behind his ear. His sister was begging him to let her cut it, but he was holding out because he thought her pouty face was kind of funny. He'd give in eventually, just not that day. "Hey, Tanya," he started again, "you eat – dinner, right?" He sighed. "Hi, Tanya -,"

"Hey, Edward."

He startled. "Oh - yeah, hi."

Tanya faced him outside the department office, key in hand. "I was just locking up for the day, do you…need something?"

"Huh? Oh, no I…no, I don't need anything. Just thinking…I like to think…out here."

She smiled in this little amused way. "Well, it's Friday, don't think too hard. See you next week, Edward."

He smiled back and might have said goodbye, but he wasn't sure.

Outside, the sun shone brightly despite the fact that it was February. That's the one thing he liked about living in California, all the sunshine. He'd moved there from Chicago to get his Ph.D. just that summer at the begging of his aforementioned sister. She said it was great and that he'd love it and never want to live anywhere else. She wasn't exactly correct.

The people were different there, everything was different. He still didn't really know anyone outside of the lab he worked in, and there were so many freeways…

He shook his head as he crossed the big university campus, no time to be down in the dumps. It wasn't that bad.

There weren't too many people hanging around that afternoon, not with a Friday night to look forward to. Edward walked slowly, going over calculations from his latest experimental trial. If things kept going the way they were, they'd be ready for human trials soon.

He saw her when he crossed into a more crowded quad area. There were a few groups talking here and there, in no particular hurry. A couple sat on the huge lawn; the girl was stretched out on her back, the guy rested his chin on her bent knee. A few people Edward recognized from a neighboring lab were having a loud conversation about which bar to start with though it wasn't even dark yet. Someone else was chattering on a cell phone.

And one determined looking girl strode across the grass in a way that made it impossible for Edward not to notice her.

In fact, she was all he was paying attention to, not to mention walking straight toward him. He debated it, perhaps she was only going to the building he was standing near, but when it became clear she wasn't, he froze. Women didn't approach him ever, for anything. Edward had no precedent for this so he stood dumbly watching, thinking to himself – just don't be an idiot, she probably needs directions or something. By the time his thoughts quieted, she was only a few feet away.

She glanced over her shoulder, but at what, Edward couldn't determine. She muttered an expletive under her breath and then grabbed the front of his t-shirt. "Please," she said.

"Wh-,"

"Just, please."

And then she swung them around faster than he could react, if he'd wanted to, and kissed him.

He braced his hands on the brick to keep from falling into her, his mind reeling, his mouth willing, but still. He'd seen this in a movie once, or a television show or something, but he couldn't remember the title. It had been a distraction, or a way to hide, or…

This girl, woman, was _kissing_ him. She smelled good and her lips were soft and, if he dared remove his hands from the wall to touch her, he was pretty sure the rest of her was soft too.

She didn't open her mouth, just pressed her lips against his, but then he started kissing her back and she did. Edward never considered himself particularly gifted in any physical respect, but with this stranger it was all instinct. A soft, short kiss and then a deeper one, she tasted good.

He didn't know why, or what was going on, but she'd said please so desperately. After a few seconds, or minutes maybe, she loosened her hands from his shirt. He was sure it was stretched and would never be the same.

She pulled back, leaving his parted lips tasting only the afternoon air. When Edward opened his eyes, she was looking around him.

"Wow," she breathed.

He looked at her, one side of his mouth pulling upward. "Yeah."

"I can't freaking believe that worked."

"What?"

She kept talking, but he was pretty sure it was to herself. "I saw it in a movie once, what was it called?" She noticed him again, "thanks."

He stepped back, scratching a spot above his eyebrow, all his awkwardness returning. "Yeah, you're – welcome."

She started moving away and it was like those dreams you have where you can't move, or are stuck in sand or something, he couldn't go after her. He opened his mouth, but her back was already turned.

Edward looked at the wall she'd just been pressed against, then down at his feet, and then his feet were moving and he felt like a fool, but nothing like this had ever happened to him before. "Wait," he called out. He rushed to catch up; his strides were much longer than hers and it didn't take long.

She didn't slow down, pause, or even look at him.

"Hey, um…," nothing intelligent came to mind. "What just happened?"

"Nothing happened."

His toe caught on something in the grass and he corrected before he toppled over completely. "Then what was that?" He jerked his hand back toward the building behind them, but she wasn't looking at him to see it.

"It was nothing."

"You kissed me."

She stopped abruptly, her face stern. "Would you keep your voice down?"

"Sorry," more quietly, he said, "you kissed me."

She started walking again, only slightly slower than before. "I needed help and you were right there, that's all."

They were out of the quad now, moving toward the edge of campus. "What…what kind of help made you approach a complete stranger for _that_?"

"The kind that doesn't need to be discussed, now I need to go…alone," she added.

Edward kept pace with her, much to her annoyance. "Can I get your name, at least?"

"No."

"But -,"

She looked out toward a parking lot, searching for a second before she turned on him. "Look, thanks for the help and everything, but that needs to be it. Sorry if I messed with your head or something, but we can't _hang out, _okay?" She asked, taking a step back.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?"

She smiled without humor and tilted her head back to look at the sky for a long silent moment. He thought she was going to say something else when she looked at him again, but she just shook her head. "I'm fine."

He snorted. "Even I know that's always a lie."

"If I tell you my name, will you leave me alone?"

He grinned, still not understanding that there could possibly be any real danger. All he knew was that he felt _something_ and that he didn't want to let her go just yet. "Probably not."

…

She said yes to the offer of food for three reasons: he was paying, she was starving, and she was leaving California that night so none of this would matter in the morning. She figured at best, she'd be a story he told his friends some night over beers. Plus, he was one of the good ones, she knew because she could pick the bad ones out from a mile away these days.

…

Her name was Bella, at least, that's the name she gave him. They sat at a back table at a deli in Brentwood while Edward talked about his research in traumatic brain injury. He talked about it for a long time; long enough to figure out that she was only listening to avoid having to talk about herself.

"So," he started, ending short a story about simulating injury with plastic explosives, "can I ask you a question?"

"You can ask."

It didn't mean she would answer, he figured as much. "Are you in trouble with the – the law or something?"

She did that humorless smile that she was really good at and said, "Or something."

He tucked some hair behind his ears unnecessarily, one of several nervous tics. "What does that mean?"

Bella looked at him for a long time, but made no readable expression. "My ex is…," she shrugged, not finishing.

"Did he – hurt you?" He felt protective of the strange girl that had just fallen into his life.

The way he said it made her want to smile, like it was the worst thing he could imagine. "Not exactly." She sighed when it was clear he was going to keep asking questions. "Just saw something I shouldn't have."

She looked over his shoulder, toward the glass front doors. She did that constantly, he noticed. She was nervous, sort of twitchy.

"And he's what? After you? You should go to the police. That's stalking, isn't it? California has really good stalking laws, all the celebrities and everything. They can protect you, you should go -,"

Bella waved her hand a little. "It'll be fine, and it's not under California's jurisdiction anyway. It was in -,"

He waited for her to continue, but she didn't. "Will you think about it?"

"I have, thought about it, I mean."

"And?"

She shook her head. "There are more powerful things out there than the police."

"But -,"

Bella stood, her statement reaffirming what she already knew. It was time to go. "Look, thanks for the – everything, but I have somewhere I need to be." Away, she thought. She'd been in L.A. for more than a week already, longer than anywhere else.

"But…you didn't finish your food," he looked at her plate which was, in fact, empty. "Oh."

"Thanks for dinner," she nodded, choosing not to say goodbye.

She was out the door before he could blink.

He thought about it, weighing whatever danger she might represent with the sort of newness and fascination he felt around her. She was exciting. She was a puzzle.

After tossing down some money, Edward left to find her.

On the sidewalk, he looked to his right, but there was only a string of storefronts and nowhere for her to hide. He suspected that's what she was doing. On his left, a few stores down, was a narrow alley opening. He went that way.

At the entrance was a dumpster for the sushi place next door. His eyes watered and he held his breath against the foul smell.

When his vision cleared, he turned to keep searching and found himself staring straight down the barrel of a gun.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks to my pre-readers and everyone reading now :)

With the cliffhangers, you know, sometimes I can't help myself.


	4. Three: Drive

Three: Drive

Friday, February 25th  
6:38 p.m.

Edward couldn't stop thinking about crime statistics. He knew it wasn't what he should be thinking about, but in a panic that's where his mind went. And the city was getting safer, not more dangerous. And most violent crime was perpetrated by men, not women, and especially not women with whom he'd just had dinner.

Her hands were trembling, but her aim was sure. And behind the gun, past the outstretched arm and hard expression, were Bella's terrified eyes.

It didn't figure, Edward might say. Instead, he said, "Bella -,"

"Why are you following me?"

He fumbled with his answer, it happened when he got nervous and even more so when he was scared. More than afraid though, he was confused. "I just, I wanted to see you, I didn't think -,"

"Where is he?"

Her voice was verging on frantic and he wanted to calm her down, but he had no idea what she was talking about. "He? I don't know which he...,"

"Do not _fuck_ with me," she flicked off the safety and Edward's hands went up.

He shook his head, his hair falling into his face.

"What? Demetri doesn't like doing his own dirty work anymore?" She paused. "Give me your wallet – and your phone."

Edward used his right hand and reached into his pockets. He tossed them to her, one at a time, not willing to step close enough to hand them over. She caught the phone, but his wallet landed in a wet pothole near her feet.

She lifted the phone high enough that she could see him and the screen at the same time. Bella went through his call history, looked at his contacts. "What's 312?" It was more a demand than a question.

"What?"

"Three one two, what is it?"

"Chicago, that's where I'm from - Chicago."

She switched his phone for his wallet and glanced inside. A five dollar bill, driver's license, university ID, a mix of receipts and other cards, and a picture. She pulled it out and let his wallet fall. "Family?" She showed it to him.

"Y-yes, my parents and my sister, she lives here too."

Bella flicked the safety back into place and lowered the gun, feeling the shaking strain in her arm and the weariness in her body. "Shit," she mumbled.

Edward watched her rub a trembling hand over her face. His hands were back at his sides, but he didn't know what to do with them. Asking if she was all right was absurd, but he did anyway for lack of anything better.

Bella made a half laughing sound. "I'm just great…shit," she said again. She stuck the gun behind her back in the waist of her pants and kneeled down. She grabbed Edward's things with awkward fingers. She'd bought the gun two weeks prior, it was amazing what one could get if properly motivated, but she never thought she'd use it.

"Here, I'm sorry, I've gotta go, I'm sorry." She barely waited long enough for him to take his stuff before she was headed down the alley again.

"Wait," he called. He was insane, he knew, for not letting her go. But he was way beyond rumination at that point.

Bella walked fast, but her boot caught on a broken pallet and she stumbled, giving him just enough time to catch up.

"Don't go yet, I -,"

"What?" She turned on him. "What do you want, Edward? You - you want to _save_ me? Is that what I need?"

"No, I don't want…I just want to help."

She put her hands through her hair and stepped back, looked around, looked at him, looked trapped.

Edward didn't know what it was, but she was in enough trouble that she carried a gun around. He didn't want to save her, but he couldn't walk away. _This is what you do_, he could hear his sister saying. She said he had a tendency to latch onto girls that paid him any attention. He remembered his first girlfriend. He did her algebra homework for a whole semester because she let him kiss her.

Finally, Bella said, "Can you take me somewhere?"

He nodded. "Where?" Edward didn't want to think about her sudden mind change, or that she was probably using him, but he was.

"It doesn't matter…someplace private."

"Let's go."

…

Bella walked with her head down, but she still managed to avoid bumping into anyone. She never so much as brushed against a sleeve or an over-sized purse. Her pace was fast and her step was smooth and Edward speculated whether that was natural or practiced. He questioned a lot of things, but mostly he questioned why she agreed to go with him and how long before she was gone for good.

She waited outside the glow of a street lamp next to the university while he grabbed his car from one of the lots. When he pulled up next to her, she got in without checking to make sure it was him.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Just did, can we make a stop first?"

She told him the name of a motel and he took her there in silence, watching while she jumped out and jogged to a room on the first floor. She unlocked the door with evident caution and waited a full ten seconds before opening it, Edward counted. She came back out with a small duffel bag slung over her shoulder.

Bella put it down at her feet. "Okay."

"Somewhere private?" He asked.

"I just need someplace to think."

Edward caught the freeway and started driving south, trying not to look at her from the corner of his eye. For fifteen too quiet minutes he wondered what he was getting himself into and then he stopped wondering and decided that it didn't matter. His first instincts were to help her and that's what he was going to trust.

And then, to break the silence, he said, "You were staying in a really bad neighborhood."

She shrugged. "Wasn't planning on being there long."

…

Bella didn't say anything for the rest of the drive, but she did look out the window when Edward pulled off the freeway. He followed Newport Boulevard to West Balboa and when Bella saw the ocean, he could have sworn she smiled.

"The house is right up here a little ways."

"House?"

"Yeah, I thought – you said somewhere you could think. The house is mine, well, mine and my sister's."

"Your sister?"

Bella gripped the strap of her bag and Edward was afraid that if he stopped, she'd jump out. He spoke quickly. "She's not there, she has an apartment in L.A., we both do…not together, I mean. We just have this…too. It's just…you said quiet and I figured this would be better than my apartment. I – I own all the walls so, you know, no sharing. And it's away from…whoever you needed to be away from."

He took a breath while she absorbed his nervous speech. "It's okay."

The house had no garage, instead there was a little space to park behind it, and it was two stories high and very narrow. It was green, with an outdoor staircase that led from the side of the house up to the second floor.

Edward led the way after trying and failing to take Bella's bag for her. He stopped at the stairs as if they needed an explanation. "When the house was a rental, you could rent the first or second floor." He put his hand on the wooden banister, "So, it's sort of like two apartments, but…a house."

He unlocked the Dutch door and when they walked through to the kitchen, he shut only the bottom half. "It's kind of stuffy." He went to the front and opened the top half of the door there, then opened the curtains on the bay window that looked out to a deck and the ocean beyond. The view was beautiful even in the darkness.

Bella watched him flutter around, her bag held against her chest like a favorite stuffed animal. He opened the big window and then checked the fridge that stood next to her; it was empty except for a box of baking soda. He walked through the kitchen to another doorway. "There's a bedroom in here, if you're tired," he said on his way back into the kitchen. "I'll just get the sheets and a blanket, and um…it has its own bathroom. I can go out and get groceries unless you need something else? Or -,"

"Edward," she caught his attention and he stopped talking. "I'll be fine. This is good, okay?"

He nodded. "Right." He crossed his arms and then uncrossed them. "I just usually don't have pretty girls here at the same time as me…pretty and sorta crazy." He attempted a smile but her face showed no amusement.

"Not funny yet?" He shook his head no at his own question. "I'm gonna go get some food."

While he was gone, Bella took a shower. She'd been using motel soap and shampoo, but in the bathroom she found shampoo and conditioner that smelled like violets and soap that was soft and clean instead of the industrial feel she'd been getting used to. She washed her face and thanked Edward's sister for the borrowed items.

After she finished and toweled off, Bella used actual lotion, trying not to pay attention to her skinny legs or the way her hipbones were starting to look sharp. She put her clothes back on and brushed her hair, keeping it away from her face. Her roots were showing, she noticed.

She put her bag under the bed and her gun under one of the pillows. Edward wasn't back yet. Bella wasn't sure how long she'd been in the bathroom; suffice it to say probably a while.

She kept the lights off and walked barefoot out to the deck. There were a few lounge chairs and she picked the nearest one and laid down.

She needed to think, she needed a plan and a place to go. She was running out of money and out of options. But the sound of the waves and the darkness all around pulled her under fast.

…

Edward parked behind the house and then went around to the trunk. He'd thought about just picking up enough for tomorrow, but he didn't know how long they might be there and he was nothing if not prepared. He looped the plastic bags over his fingers, determined to only make one trip. It occurred to him at the same time that he might have gotten too much. He didn't even know how to cook. He made a pretty good omelet and could heat things from a can, but his kitchen skills ended there.

Edward wrestled the groceries up the stairs and into the house. The lights were off and he tried to be quiet, knowing she was probably asleep, but with all the plastic it was no easy feat. His sister used those canvas bags which sounded pretty good right about then. He put away everything that needed to be frozen or refrigerated before he realized that Bella's bedroom door was open behind him and that she wasn't in it.

He walked in, knocking on the frame. "Bella?" The light was off in the bathroom too. It was his house, his and his sister's, and it was his bedroom. But he still felt like he was invading her space by looking around.

Bella's bag was gone. How soon after he left had she? He shook his head. "Damn."

Edward toed his shoes off and put the rest of the groceries away. It was going to be a lot of food for just one person, even if he did stay the entire weekend and didn't pick up anything.

He tried to write the whole day off as one very strange adventure, but his attempts at optimism weren't working. He wanted to talk to someone, anyone, but the list of available people wasn't particularly long. And besides that, Edward felt compelled to keep Bella a secret, not because he understood at all what she was going through, but because of how afraid she looked when he found her in the alley.

"Hey."

Her voice scared him and he jumped back, stumbling over his shoes. He jammed his shoulder, but it hurt less than the injury to his ego, such as it was. He caught his breath, saying nothing more than Bella's name once he'd righted himself.

"Sorry," she said, stepping into the light of the kitchen. "Didn't mean to scare you…," she put a small effort toward smiling, "that's twice today."

Edward tucked some hair behind his ear and smiled toward the floor. "You're definitely not boring."

…

Bella was still hungry despite having eaten a few hours earlier, so she put together a second dinner. She made spaghetti and ate straight from the pot and when she saw Edward eyeing it, she gave him a fork. They ate over the stove and he tried to clean up afterward, but she wouldn't let him. Instead, he leaned against a nearby counter, trying to think of something to say.

"I didn't know you cooked."

"I wasn't always like this."

"What were you like?"

She lifted a shoulder, dropping it after a moment. "I don't know, normal, I guess."

He started talking after that, hoping it would keep her in the kitchen with him. He told her about Chicago and how his sister moved to Southern California because she hated the cold. "She's – spirited."

He told her about moving and how he was beginning to get used to the freeways. Edward rambled on until he was sure she'd lost interest, but then she'd ask a real question and make him smile. It wasn't until he asked about where she was from that he saw her shut down. It wasn't all of a sudden, more like inch by inch, until finally she said that she was going to bed.

"Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to – pry."

"No, it isn't you. I'm just tired." She turned around and walked to the bedroom, only pausing once she was within the doorframe. In a soft voice, she said, "Thank you…really. I'm sorry I can't give you more than that."

…

Saturday, February 26th  
7:49 a.m.

Edward went to sleep very late and woke up very early. He didn't need sleep quite as much as other people. Actually, he knew that wasn't true and that for the most part, everyone needed the same number of hours. But in his case, he functioned all right with less.

He wanted to go for a run, he kept some clothes and a spare pair of running shoes at the house, but he didn't want to leave Bella alone longer than he had to. He wasn't sure if it was because of fears for her safety or fears that she'd be gone when he returned. So, he took a shower instead, pulling on a pair of old sweat pants when he was finished.

In the kitchen, he was grabbing a carton of eggs when two things happened. First, he heard the unmistakable sound of his sister's voice on the stairs. Second, Bella appeared, looking sleepy and disheveled, in her doorway. When she heard the key in the lock, her eyes jumped to his.

The door swung open. "Where's my favorite brother?"

She saw him right away, his panicked expression obvious. "Hi," she said brightly. "Are you…," she was going to say are you okay, but when his eyes darted behind her, she turned around.

"Oh." She pulled her sunglasses up onto her head. "Hi, I'm Alice, Edward's sister." She faced her brother again, a huge smile on her face. "I didn't realize you were – entertaining, I would have stayed home."

He tried to say something, anything, but what came out was a floundering "uhh" and nothing more.

Alice either didn't notice it or was used to him because all she said was, "do I need to come back later? I didn't mean to interrupt your getaway."

She didn't know how right she was.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks to my pre-readers and thanks to you.

No news this week. I hope wherever you are, it's warmer than it is here ( -12 with the wind today).


	5. Four: Look

Four: Look

Saturday, February 26th  
7:50 a.m.

Bella's first thought when she saw Edward was that he looked vastly different without his shirt. His hair was wet and away from his face and there was a single drop of water running down his back between his shoulder blades. This wasn't the same Edward that called her "sorta crazy" the night before.

But then his sister appeared in the kitchen and Edward panicked. Bella was beginning to understand that when he panicked, he rambled. He knew more than he should and because she was afraid he would blurt out the truth, she stepped in for him. Bella never lied well, but she did lie fast.

"Hi, I'm Bella." She smiled, pretending to be unaware of whose room she was emerging from or how that might look. "I'm a friend of Edward's. Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. If I'd known you were coming, I wouldn't have asked to crash here."

Alice was young, but sharp. She pulled her sunglasses off the top of her head. "It's no biggie."

She half turned toward her older brother. "Edward didn't tell me he had a girl friend. I mean, a friend that's a girl."

He gave her a look. "I know people."

"Are you a scientist too?" Alice asked.

Bella shook her head and then excused herself, saying she couldn't meet Edward's sister properly without at least brushing her teeth. She showered fast and pulled on a dirty pair of jeans and a black t-shirt when she finished. She pulled her hair up, her mind on bus schedules and dwindling funds. She'd have to get a job soon, or ask, or steal it. _How much longer?_ That was one question that seemed never to have an answer no matter how many times she'd asked it.

When Bella reappeared, Alice was leaning against the kitchen counter dousing an omelet in hot sauce. Edward had put a shirt on and was cracking an egg on the edge of his pan. He kept hold of the broken shell and poured the yolk into the skillet one handed. "She's not my girlfriend."

Alice cleared her throat.

"Oh." He said. He held up a big hunk of cheese. "Cheese omelet? Or I have peppers too, and ham…if you want ham."

Bella was going to say that she was fine, but he had his hopeful face on and she couldn't say no. While he cooked, Alice led Bella to the dining table and out of her brother's earshot.

"So…how do you know Edward?" She took a bite and spoke with her mouth half full. "Are you in school too?"

"No I'm just passing through. I was – visiting the campus when we met."

"Oh, that's nice. Are you transferring from somewhere else? You should really consider California, you'll love it here. Are you a grad student? Edward can probably help you with the whole application process; he applied to a million schools probably." Alice took another bite, effectively putting her on pause.

Bella smiled. Edward's sister rambled the same way he did, though she did it without awareness or nerves. And all the talking gave Bella time to think of a lie she could remember later. "Potential grad student…I took a few years off after graduation."

Alice nodded. "I so don't get how Edward does it. He went straight from high school to college to grad school. After cosmetology school, I was _done_."

"Cosmetology school?" Bella asked.

"Yep, I have a chair at a place in L.A., but I want to open my own salon eventually." She said. She put her fork down after a moment in a way that incited nervousness. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

Bella said sure because this Bella Swan had nothing to hide.

"So…the black hair dye…is that a look you're going for?"

Bella touched the ends of her hair. "Oh, I…,"

"Oh my God, am I being rude? Edward's says I'm pushy. It's not bad or anything, I was just wondering. Professional curiosity or something."

"No you're not being rude. I just – haven't really thought about it." Vanity hadn't been on her mind when she changed her hair.

Alice smiled. "I can re-color it for you, if you want? I'll even keep it black."

"Oh, no, I don't know…,"

"Please? You'll be doing me a favor. If Edwards sees me doing your hair, maybe he'll finally let me cut his. If you think about it, I'm just using you."

This Bella laughed at her logic, understanding that Alice Cullen was someone you went along with for the ride. She agreed because she needed the normal. The running had worn past the bone and into a new place of constant paranoia and loneliness. So for a day, she was going to be this Bella.

…

Alice worked at the dining room table after a quick outing for the supplies she didn't already have with her. Unsurprisingly, she kept a bag in her car she called her "mobile salon."

Edward told Bella more than once she didn't have to do this, but she only shrugged. The truth was she kind of liked it. This Bella had never run from anything, had never stabbed a stranger, had never stayed in a pay-by-the-hour motel or pointed a gun at anyone in her life.

Edward left the two alone when Alice returned, saying he had errands to run. He kissed Alice's cheek and ruffled her short hair, earning himself a smile and a swat on the arm.

Alice pulled some things out of a plastic bag. "Okay, I got black, but I got some other things too. I know this will sound crazy, but have you ever thought about going blonde?"

"No!" Bella said. "I mean, I did that for a while, not really my thing."

"That's cool, I grabbed a few things." She pulled out more boxes of color, handing them to her.

"Bella…I don't really know the non-rude way to ask this, but – why the black? I mean, you're really pretty, your skin – jeesh. The black is just so…," she laughed. "Are you on the lam or something?"

She meant it as a joke, but the question left Bella without an answer. "Oh, I don't know…it was, I don't know…," she couldn't think of a good lie and after a second of fumbling, she said, "I wanted something different."

Alice pulled a wide-tooth comb out of her bag, but didn't speak. It was worse than her rambling.

Bella felt herself suddenly itching to say something. Before coming to California, she could go for days without speaking a word to anyone. And now she was with two people that had too many words. She didn't want to go to anybody; she wanted to go to them. She wanted to tell them everything.

"Bad breakup." She said. "I was with a bad guy…a very bad guy." Bella put her trembling hands in her lap.

Alice kept moving, getting herself organized. She thought about it, then pulled a pair of scissors out of her huge tote bag. It had her name and a bright sun embroidered on it. Edward had gotten it for her. "Can I?"

After a quick nod, Alice put her hands through Bella's hair. "I was thinking…," Alice was choosing her words with care. "The black makes you – stand out."

Bella didn't say anything.

"If we went with this," she slid a box closer. "It'll be your natural hair color. You'll…blend in."

She hadn't worn her natural color in several years; even Demetri had never seen it. "Let's do it."

…

Alice cut her hair and colored it. When Edward returned in the middle of things, she shooed him outside to the deck.

The whole time, she chattered on about her brother and her work. She never mentioned boyfriends and she never asked Bella a single question.

"Okay," Alice said. She rubbed some type of cream in her hands and then ran them through Bella's hair. "Done." She went to her bag and grabbed a sizable handheld mirror before calling out to tell Edward it was safe to come inside.

Edward saw Bella at the same time she saw herself. Her hair was a deep brown, it was layered differently now and felt soft. It made her look less exhausted and less sick. She saw rose in her cheeks and light in her eyes. She looked like herself on her best day.

Alice rolled up onto the balls of her feet, her smile hopeful. "Do you like it?"

Bella started to cry. She didn't mean to, but then it happened and she couldn't stop it. Her tears started softly, but then turned into a sob. She dropped the mirror onto the table and covered her face with both hands.

She felt a hand on her, too big to be Alice.

"Bella?" Edward was kneeling next to her.

She wiped her eyes and felt the reddening of her cheeks. "I look like me."

His expression was so worried it made her smile.

"It's good," she said.

Alice was standing back, wringing her hands together. She looked at Bella with watery eyes.

Bella stood. She wanted to hug her, but instead she only said thank you and that she liked it very much. She couldn't hug Alice. She couldn't love these people.

"So, it's good?" Alice asked.

"Yes, very good."

Alice smiled.

Edward let his sister cut his hair. When she asked if he wanted anything in particular, he said, "I don't know, shorter or something."

It didn't take long and when she was finished, Edward ran his hand through it. "You cut a lot off."

She snorted. "Is that all I get?"

He sing-songed "thank you, Alice," to her.

Edward looked good. In the very short time she'd been with him, Bella thought he always looked good, but now it was a different good. His hair was short, but long enough that it stuck out all over. When he looked at himself in the mirror, Alice only said, "Trust me."

…

Alice left in the late evening, despite Edward's protests about traffic and freeway safety. She said she was only there to check on the house in the first place, since it was empty a lot during the winter, and had to work in the morning. Bella wanted to ask her to stay, but she kept silent. Before she walked out, Alice touched Bella's hair. "There," she said.

After a while, Bella went out to the deck to listen to the water. She was thinking about the hiding and her perpetual moving, the bus stops and the motels. She was thinking about her life before Demetri. She was thinking about stopping and letting them find her.

When Edward came out to keep her company, she didn't think before she started talking. In retrospect, maybe she should have thought first. She didn't want to put anyone in danger. The notion of Edward getting hurt because of her filled Bella with something she wasn't ready to consider. But the simple truth was that she couldn't do it alone anymore.

"I want to tell you what happened." She said.

He sat sideways in the lounge chair next to her. "You don't have to…you don't owe it to me or anything. Unless you want to - tell me, not owe it to me, I mean."

She sat up, mirroring his position. "I want to."

…

Demetri scared Bella. The more she paid attention, the more she understood how unpredictable he could be because the man she knew was not the man he was.

At first, all she did was watch him when they were together. On the days he worked late, he came home and went straight to the shower. Sometimes he had bruised knuckles he explained away. He boxed; it could just as easily be true. On several occasions he was called out in the middle of the night, the boss was high maintenance, he said.

It took one trip to an art museum to kick her into another gear. They went together on a Sunday; Bella couldn't remember whose idea it was. It was an abstract expressionist exhibit and Bella was bored. She preferred Monet and Degas, anything besides the paint splatters she was pretending to study.

Demetri was looking enraptured by a particularly large canvas on the wall. It was black and white, yellow and cream and red. He tilted his head, something he did when he was concentrating.

Bella took his arm. She was going to suggest they move on when he spoke.

"You know what this looks like?" He asked.

"Toddler art?"

"No, this," he motioned to a section left of the painting's center. He gestured to the red, moving his hand from the bottom up. When it was clear Bella wasn't seeing what he was seeing, he said, "It looks like arterial spray."

"What?" She knew the words, but was confused by the context.

"Doesn't it?" He was unconcerned by the comparison. "You get someone and turn them around, like this." Demetri stood behind her, one hand low on her hip. He raised the other to her neck and touched the skin with two fingers. He slid them across while he spoke in a quiet voice close to her ear. "When you hit the artery, the blood sprays out this way." He motioned to the painting again. "It's that bright too, and the deeper the cut, the harder the spray, but it doesn't last as long." He let her go. "Do you wanna get some lunch?"

When she asked him about it, he said he studied criminology and forensics before switching to political science.

She started checking his phone, she looked in his car, his dresser drawers, she tried getting onto his computer, but she couldn't guess his password. She had a friend that would be able to get past it, but she didn't want to involve anyone else.

Demetri was clean. There was absolutely nothing out of place. His excuses made sense and he was a good boyfriend to her. He was attentive and thoughtful and never forgot a birthday or an anniversary. He brought home flowers just because and let her have her space when she needed it. He was perfect and it was driving Bella out of her mind.

She knew there was something because there had to be. It was the same instinct she trusted for everything else. And deep down, she knew there was something very wrong in her house.

On a Saturday night in January, Bella followed Demetri when he was called away for work. She didn't have a clue what she was doing. She followed too closely or too far behind, she lost him for five blocks, only to find him again by sheer dumb luck. She'd driven to an industrial part of the city she'd never seen before. He was parked between two warehouses. She stopped short and turned around, leaving her car around the corner.

Bella kept her distance, hiding between two dumpsters filled with rotting food and carpet padding. She could feel the smell working its way into her hair.

There were four men, three suited. The fourth could have been a college student. All she could remember clearly was that he wore Buddy Holly glasses and started out confident, cocky even.

When Demetri hit him, the kid's glasses flew off. It didn't sound the way Bella thought it would. It was ridiculous, but she'd seen too many movies. She expected it to crack, to be loud. But it wasn't, instead the sound was fleshy and muffled by the boy's cry. She remembered thinking about that sound, about understanding this guy had never been touched in anger in his life. It was shock and then a whimper and when he hit the ground, it was begging. She watched him cry and cover his face, like it would help. He kept saying _please_ and _you can have it, you can have it_. He spit blood when he talked. _Take it, take it, please_.

Demetri had seen her there. It was one of those things she knew without really knowing. Still, he waited almost 24 hours before saying anything. Twenty four of the longest hours of Bella's life. He kissed the top of her head before going out for his morning run, putting his hand around her shoulder just a little too tight. He watched her during dinner, asked her what she did the night prior. Nothing, nothing, she answered. Her heart raced and her mouth was too dry.

And then he said it, as calmly as one might comment on the weather. "I know you followed me."

It was his quietness that scared her. She was waiting for him to strike and he was playing with her. He looked at her like she amused him.

She was against the wall and his hand was around her neck before she could react. He was saying that she was a part of this now. _Everything is going to be all right. _He touched her face with his other hand and used his thumb to wipe away a tear. Shh, he said.

His fingers clenched tighter and she made a gurgling sound. She couldn't get his name out, she couldn't get anything out. When he let her go, she fell down at his feet.

Demetri kneeled down and touched her, brushed some hair behind her ears. Shh, he said again. _Nothing happened last night_. He kissed her watery mouth. _Shh_.

When his phone rang, she wiped a hand across her mouth.

He had to go, he said, but he'd be back soon. He told her not to leave. He helped her up onto shaking legs and stroked her face. He smiled, but it wasn't the smile she'd come to love. It wasn't even him anymore. "If you leave, if you tell anyone, I'll find you." He kissed her again, softly, gently.

She was gone within the hour.

…

Bella tucked her shaking hands between her thighs. "And…now I'm here."

Edward made the motion of tucking hair behind his ear, but remembering his hair cut, he stopped and dropped his hand back onto his lap. He was frowning toward the ground.

"I'm sorry." She looked at his face and it clicked that she was dragging him into this. In a flash, she saw him begging, pleading, _please_, curled up on the ground, spitting out his own teeth.

Bella stood up. "I should go. I've gotta go. I'm sorry; forget what I said, please? Please, okay?" She reached down and grabbed his hand and when she let go, he grabbed her wrist.

"Wait." He let go, leaving her standing there on a wire. She wanted to go, she should have gone.

He puzzled over something, piecing it together in his mind. "You saw him and two other men beating up a kid?"

Bella nodded with some hesitation. "College aged, I think."

Edward nodded. "And that's all you saw? Did they kill him?"

"I don't think so…I don't know."

He looked into middle distance, his thoughts turning. When he finally looked at her, he seemed decided. "Bella, I don't think this is because of what you saw."

"What?"

"I think this is about something else entirely."

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks to my pre-readers! And to all of you tuning in.

I'm hopping a plane to a much warmer climate today so I figured you'd rather have an early update than a late one.


	6. Five: Search

Five: Search

Saturday, February 26th  
11:13 p.m.

There's something about the late night that makes a person's thoughts tear and reassemble in ways that don't fit during the daylight. Ideas are born and must be written down and in the morning, you can only hope it makes sense.

Edward Cullen was like this all the time. He saw connections and remembered the most intimate of details years after they were no longer important. It made him a good scientist and an even better graduate student, but it was hell on his social life. He couldn't simply keep it locked up in his head, so he rambled because his mind had no off switch. With the way Bella was staring at him, he wished he did, or had at least waited until his thought was fully formed.

He hadn't joined her on the deck to puzzle her story out in front of her. Edward wanted to offer her something warm to drink to cut the chill, or a blanket, and then he was going to say that she looked pretty, more than pretty but he didn't think he could get the word out. _Beautiful. _He'd thought that even with the black dye and funny haircut.

Edward felt himself hanging on the edge of a full blown tangent, but it was his process. He'd learned years ago to let his mind take him where it would.

A moment later he blurted, "He's covering things up for his boss." He meant to pose it as a question, but he knew the answer would be yes regardless. "The senator," he added.

Bella nodded. "That's a safe assumption."

Edward's heel started bobbing, which was difficult to maintain in the low chair, so he stood. Bella resumed her spot on the opposite chair, too curious for her own good. She knew this was the part where she was supposed to leave and maybe he'd try to stop her, but he'd fail. Instead she watched him pace to the wooden railing, first facing the ocean, and then her. When Edward got really into something, she realized, he liked to use his hands.

"That's exactly what it is though, a hypoth- an assumption, right? You didn't do any recording, didn't tell anybody…and the senator wasn't there. Just three guys you didn't recognize, your boyfriend, and the kid." He paused to think and catch his breath.

Bella watched, trying to follow. She'd been piecing together her shreds of knowledge for so many weeks; it was beginning to lose its meaning.

"That's the thing though," Edward was talking again. "The senator _wasn't_ there."

"Right, I don't understand why that's so -,"

"Because you could have been watching anything."

"What?" A prickling crept along her skin, feather light awareness that she had been missing something all along. She could feel it now in the miasma of her thoughts, tugging on her sleeve and waiting for her to pay attention. _You could have been watching anything_.

He opened his mouth to explain, his right hand already motioning to some unknown thing, when she interrupted him.

"I could have been watching anything," she repeated. "I have no proof that he was covering up for the senator. Demetri could have been beating that guy up for cutting him off in traffic, or stealing his wallet, or…or anything…," she almost laughed at its obviousness.

Edward watched the realization play out across her face. He wanted to go sit by her and do whatever it was he was supposed to do to make her feel better, but his nerves at being close enough to touch her kept him by the railing.

"But…I still don't get it…," she said. "Demetri isn't stupid, he knew I was there, he knew what I heard. There was nothing there that would incriminate the senator, even if I had taped the whole thing…so why threaten me?"

Edward tensed at the word _threaten_ with the need to do – something. "Is he the type to show his hand like that?"

"Maybe…he had this other side I didn't really know." A side that wasn't entirely sane, she thought.

"Could he have assumed you recorded him?"

She worried her bottom lip, an adolescent habit she thought she'd long outgrown. "No, he's meticulous; he would have looked for it if he thought there was a tape or something."

"And he didn't."

She shook her head, still deep in her own memory. "He went for a run, went into work for a while, I made dinner that night, we talked, and then…," she raised and dropped a shoulder. "He knew I had no proof."

But the two had lived together, had known each other, for years. Demetri knew Bella, her nuances, her expressions, her routines and behavior. He knew she was smart, he knew she'd know what she was watching in that alley. He knew she wouldn't stop until she'd found out the truth. So he threatened her.

Edward, being on the same wavelength, reached the same conclusion. "So he was just trying to prevent you from digging into it." _You be good and I'll be good_.

Bella leaned forward, head in hands, eyes closed. She yawned. "This doesn't make any sense." She said, voice muffled by the hair hanging in her face.

He asked if she wanted to go inside and call it a night, but she said she wouldn't be able to sleep even if she wanted to. So he waited for her, glancing in her direction and trying not to stare. She was so tired. He thought she might fall asleep in the chair if she just leaned back a little. If she finally gave in to it, he could just carry her into her room.

Despite his doubts about her constitution, she was sitting up straight again after a couple of minutes. "This is what I don't get…why come after me at all? I'm nobody."

"You're not nobody."

She looked at him, confused.

"No, I mean – in general…I don't think you're a nobody – to me…sorry." He scratched the back of his head, his eyes down. Had he looked up, he would have seen the tiny smile on Bella's lips.

She cleared her throat. "What I mean is I have nothing but my word. Even if I went to the police or the media, they'd think I was crazy. I have nothing to show for what I saw, no one would believe me."

"And someone is trying to find you, you're sure?"

"Positive." She went back to James on the park bench and the feel of the knife in her hand, and the car tailing her father. She wanted to call him, but she was afraid. Bella had been watching the news, waiting for the headline, _Forks Police Chief, Charles Swan, was found today_…

He nodded, coming to a conclusion easily. "So, you must know something."

"But I don't." She said it in a way that told Edward she'd thought it more than once. "All I know is what I saw and as you pointed out, it wasn't much."

"Then you have something they want."

She shook her head. "I got rid of everything except my clothes and some cash." She decided not to bring up the gun or the knife which now had a strange sentimental value to her.

Edward started using his hands when he spoke again. "You've got to have something and it's gotta be something important, important enough that your boyfriend is using all these resources to find you. Do you think he'd do all this on a hunch?"

She thought about it and briefly, the thought occurred to her that he kept calling Demetri her boyfriend. "No," she admitted. "He wouldn't waste his time unless he knew."

"So, that means…,"

"I have something."

…

Edward followed Bella after her abrupt halt to the conversation. He asked if she needed any help and she said no, but didn't ask him to leave when he hovered in her doorway. He crossed his arms and leaned on the frame, watching her grab her duffel bag from under the bed. She dumped its contents onto the comforter.

"There's nothing," she mumbled, more to herself than to Edward. She felt through her clothes, self consciously moving her underwear out of his eye line. She lifted a pair of rolled up socks, pulled her knife out, and opened it. She kept a shrinking roll of cash in a different pair.

"Do you keep throwing stars in your shoes?" He meant it as a joke, but she was too distracted to laugh.

"There's nothing," she repeated, this time louder.

"Can I take a look?"

She sighed at the question, but moved aside. Instead of going for her clothes, which were getting ripe, he took hold of the bag. His fingers slid over the outside, dipping into an outer pocket, feeling for a tear in the lining, feeling for anything. When he found nothing, he put one hand inside. It was dark and vacant and Bella was just about to say I told you so, when Edward perked up.

"Did you know there's a tear in this corner?" He wiggled his finger; the rip in the seam was about an inch long.

She stood next to him and he took her wrist, guiding her hand to the space where the lining had separated. He pulled his arm out when she lifted the empty bag. She felt along the bottom, her hand flat, looking for anything because whatever it was, it had to be there. Her hands searched faster, more desperately; she yanked at the opening, ripping the lining off almost completely. A voice she was sometimes able to ignore told her that perhaps it had been for nothing and that she would always be running, running or dead.

"Oh." She stilled. Her fingertips brushed something once, twice. She worked it free from underneath the messy remains of the duffel lining.

It was black plastic and smaller than a stick of gum. A flash drive, something so small it could have easily fallen in and gone unnoticed. All at once, Bella remembered something she'd done, something inconsequential, thoughtless, and barely worth it.

_At the last second, she saw some things on the nightstand. She held the bag open and swept her arm over the surface, dumping all the contents inside._

_ It was what her life amounted to, she thought bitterly. The duffel wasn't even full._

But maybe she did have something after all. Maybe she had the most important thing.

Edward looked at it in her hand while anxiety curled around his ribs and pulled tight.

The next words out of Bella's mouth sounded tinny and far away. "Do you have a computer?"

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks to my pre-readers and to you, as always.

Thanks to whoever it is that's recommending this story, I heart you.

Two more things - I'll post a few pictures for this on my homepage later on today (accessible through my FF profile), if you're interested.

Also, one of these days I won't end a chapter in a cliffhanger, but not today.


	7. Six: Watch

Six: Watch

Sunday, February 27th  
12:58 a.m.

If Bella was being chased across the country because of a flash drive, she was damn well going to see what was on it. "Do you have a computer?"

She would have laughed if it hadn't been happening to her. It was a book she'd really wanted, a book she'd gotten rid of in a fit of paranoia several weeks ago. She remembered, again, the long stretch and thoughtless sweep of her arm across the nightstand.

Bella was still staring at the drive between her fingers when Edward finally spoke up. "Yeah…I…yeah, I'll get it." He floundered for a second like he forgot what he was doing, but Bella didn't notice him again until he reappeared with a laptop. He held it like a child might hold a teddy bear.

Bella turned around, wondering what he was waiting for. "Edward?"

He handed the computer to her. "Here, the password is 'sarahbellum', but 'cere' is spelled like the name…with the 'h' at the end. I – need to go do something. The battery should be charged all the way so you can use it however long you need to -," he gestured behind him, "I'll be here – out here, I mean." He half backed out, half fled.

She was so transfixed by literally holding her future in her hand she didn't notice Edward's retreat. She lifted the lid on the computer and turned it on, assuming he was still behind her. The knowledge of that gave her comfort and conviction, though she didn't know why. When she looked over her shoulder to ask him to repeat his password, she saw that he'd gone. She waffled before sticking the flash drive in her pocket rather than setting it down.

Bella found Edward on the deck again, leaning out over the railing as if some answers could be found there in the sand. His hands were clasped and his hair windblown and the stray thought crossed her mind again that he was very attractive. She wondered if in some other life they'd be friends. She hoped so, at the moment she believed herself to be little more than his kidnapper. She was armed, after all.

Edward could feel her watching him and so he spoke without turning around. "I think if you lived out here, I'd want to know you." He lifted one side of his mouth, though he knew she wouldn't see. "You treat me like a m-, like a normal person."

"You are -," when he sighed, she stopped.

"I'm not…I mean, I'm smart, I remember everything, but…I don't think I can do this. Maybe before when it was theoretical, now…," he shrugged, unable to admit he was a coward.

When he was finished, she approached, copying his position at the rail. "I never meant for you to get involved, but only because I didn't want to put you in danger…if you don't want to be in this past tonight, I understand." She nudged his elbow with hers. "You're not a coward…and if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't even be this far."

They were both quiet for a time, looking forward, using the crash of the waves as a true north. They were still there, safe in that house, and for a few minutes everything was all right.

Bella stretched forward, working the kinks out of her back. "Can I ask you something?"

Edward made a yes sound.

"Do you really remember everything?"

He smiled, letting a memory surface. "When we went to dinner Friday, you got a California club."

"Well, anyone could remember that."

"I wasn't finished…," he grinned again. "You got a California club with turkey, bacon, and extra avocado. You held it with your left hand and kept pushing your hair back with your right. Your plate had these little blue flowers on it, which was weird because mine didn't have anything, and you used your index finger to scoop up some mayonnaise that fell on your shirt. And then you licked your finger which I thought was kind of gross, but I don't like mayo. The couple sitting across from us was arguing over how big of a tip to leave and the lady was wearing this powdery perfume that reminded me of my grandma, even though I don't think she actually ever wore perfume. Oh, and that shirt you wore has a hole in it, down at the bottom. I could keep going, if you want."

Bella shook her head though the light from inside was scarcely enough to see by. "I believe you."

They stood side by side, Bella impressed, Edward pleased with himself. When it started getting cold, he looked sideways at her. "Still want to see what's on that flash drive?"

"Edward…I meant what I said before. And really, I don't think you _should_ be involved."

He faced Bella so they were perpendicular, but let her finish her thought.

"These are dangerous people and I just – don't want you to get hurt."

"Well…," he paused, his fingers flexing and itching to move through his hair. "I say I'm already involved. And…I don't want you to get hurt either."

Bella looked at him and he looked at her. She nodded. "Okay."

Inside, the laptop was still waiting on the bed. Edward leaned over and typed his password, watching as it logged in.

"What's that?" Bella asked about his wallpaper.

"Oh – it's a synapse. That's when…I can tell you later." He put his hand out and Bella deposited the flash drive into his palm. He plugged it in and another window popped up, asking what he wanted to do. _Open folder to view files_.

There was only one thing on it, a video. Edward's finger hovered over the touchpad, waiting for direction.

"Play it."

He tapped twice and the video opened.

It started automatically, like the camera was on a timer. The light was dim and it made the video quality less than great, but Bella could see everything clearly enough. She was looking at the bedroom of a sleek hotel suite. In the frame were a massive white bed, a cube nightstand with a lamp on top, and the edge of what looked like a full wall of windows.

A man came into the frame, walking backward. Attached to his tie was a pale hand which smoothed up into a bare arm. The girl was blonde and wearing a very small dress. The man was the senator.

There was no sound, but it was hardly a guess to figure out what they were doing. The girl stepped one foot out of a gold heel and then paused as Marcus Salazar told her something. _Leave them on_.

He sat on the edge of the bed and she writhed against him, her dress inching up. She pressed her breasts to his face and when his tongue slipped between his teeth, she pulled back with a grin. She kept it up for a few more passes before he tired of it and grabbed her, shoving her face down on the bed. She kept that coy smile on her face when he lifted her dress the rest of the way and pushed her underwear aside.

The sex was rough and after a minute, Bella saw the girl's eyebrows push together, but she said nothing and it was over quickly.

When Bella looked at Edward, he was looking at the bedspread. He swallowed and neither of them could think of anything to say. Bella closed the video and pulled out the flash drive. She held it in her hand, afraid it would disappear if she left it in the open. _You can have it, take it, take it, please. _Was this what they took from the boy in the alley? Bella tried to remember if she saw them take anything from him, but her thoughts had been so focused on getting out of there without getting caught she couldn't say for sure. Instead, she heard the smack of flesh and saw him on the ground, spitting up blood. Her thoughts turned while exhaustion blurred all the edges.

"Who was that girl?" Edward asked.

"I don't know." Bella saw her face again, that moment when her pleasure became pain. When it was over, the girl kissed the senator on the lips. "I don't know."

Edward closed his laptop and set it aside before lowering himself onto the bed. He rubbed his face and ran the same hand through his hair. He squeezed his eyes shut for a second. "I can't…,"

Bella sat next to him and set her palm on the comforter after an abandoned attempt to loosen his hand from his hair. "I told you it's all right."

"No, I mean, I can't think. This whole day has been a lot, and I feel like I can't think anymore…I'm sorry," he leaned over, his forehead in one hand. He had circles under his eyes and his body looked weighted down, but his thoughts were miles away, still trying to piece it together.

Bella touched his arm. "Don't be sorry…let's sleep, okay?" She didn't actually want to sleep, she didn't think she'd be able to, but he needed it and she was discovering that she needed him.

He put up a semblance of an argument before agreeing that he was no good to anyone in his state. It wasn't the physical tiredness, but the mental collapse which was the final straw. The video only brought more questions and no easy answers. Without more information between them that night, the uncertainty was only going to build.

Before he walked out of the bedroom, Bella threaded her fingers through his. She smiled at him and he could see the shadows beneath her eyes. He reached out and slid his thumb just below the hollow. They said good night before she closed the door.

…

Sunday, February 27th  
9:37 a.m.

Bella pushed off the covers. The room had gotten stuffy over night and now it was stifling and claustrophobic. She got up and showered, after which she realized that none of her clothes were even passably clean anymore. She wrapped herself in a towel and went back into the bedroom, her mind too drained to deal with it.

When there was a knock on her door, Bella invited Edward in despite her state of undress. "Hey, I couldn't pretend to sleep anymore and – oh, sorry." He turned away.

"What?" She asked.

He made a fluttering, uncomfortable motion with his hand. "You're not dressed."

"Oh, yeah, that…is there a Laundromat around here?"

"I have no idea…but I do have a washer and dryer. It's good, it's one of those environmentally friendly ones that uses – I don't know, exactly – not a lot of water. And I have detergent and the fabric softener with the bear on it; it smells good."

He led her to it and then said he'd leave her something to wear. When she slid open the pocket door there was a t-shirt and flannel pants waiting on the floor. She slipped them on and rolled the waistband of the pants, not that it made them fit any better. They hung dangerously low and made Bella grateful for the big shirt.

When she stepped out, she saw Edward making breakfast. "I made omelets; sorry I don't really know how to make anything else. Oh, there's bacon too. I burned the first couple, but I'll eat those."

"My dad told me once that the burned part was good for you."

That made Edward smile.

Bella wanted to live in the domestic bubble they'd created that morning, but as soon as they sat at the table, their friendly conversation changed.

"So," Edward said. "I thought about it a lot last night and I think what it comes down to is what you want to do with the video." He took a bite of eggs and bacon. It wasn't bad, despite the charring. "The way I see it, you can go to the police, or whatever authorities would be the most effective for this; you can give it back, which I don't think is a good idea; you can keep running, I don't like that one either; or…,"

Bella knew what the other option was. "Or I can figure out what's going on."

He swallowed some eggs. "I think you should go to the police. They can figure it out and protect you."

That's what Bella wanted to do. It was the smartest, safest option. But she knew it wasn't what she was going to choose.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks to my pre-readers and my regular readers and all the people recommending this little story; it makes my day.

Also, there are finally pictures up on my homepage, which you can get to through my profile.


	8. Seven: News

Seven: News

Sunday, February 27th  
10:02 a.m.

Edward went on about the merits of the judicial system and why going to the police was the best option until he ran out of words. He finished his breakfast and tried not to watch Bella for confirmation that he'd proved his point. His point being, no matter if it was the best choice or not, he wanted her to pick the one that kept her far away from trouble.

Bella ate most of her food and was setting down a piece of picked-at bacon when she spoke again. "Do you mind if I use your computer?"

He told her he didn't mind, but with some hesitation. Her expression was not one he'd associate with a woman that had made up her mind. In fact, Bella looked absent from him, deep in some private concentration. She cleaned her plate and offered to wash the other dishes, but he said no. His eyes were on her as she retreated to the bedroom and shut the door behind her.

On the other side, Bella was wondering if Demetri was checking her e-mail. Or checking to see when she logged into it. And, when she kept thinking about it, she debated whether or not he could find her when she opened the program. But she was fairly certain he couldn't.

She hung one leg off the side of the bed and stared at the computer. The screensaver was up - a slideshow. Pictures of Edward and Alice as kids, Alice at her graduation, high school Edward with a big golden retriever, people she assumed were their parents, Edward wearing a lab coat, someone – maybe his dad – with an apron that said Master of the Grille. They were happy scenes from a normal life, a life which until a couple of days ago was still normal.

Bella thought he deserved to go back to that again. But if she kept the flash drive and tried to put the senator away herself, Edward would come with her. If she disappeared, he would look for her. She looked at the pictures again and knew what she had to do.

She tapped the space bar and opened the internet browser, thankful for the Wi-Fi. She went to her e-mail and logged in.

Bella decided that her best option would be to go to her father. He was a quiet sort of man and sharp, just the type that would keep what she was going to tell him private. She just had to figure out a way to do it.

Her inbox was overflowing with new e-mails. About half of them were useless, but she left them. She skimmed over the senders until she neared the top. Her dad had e-mailed her several times over the last few weeks, which was not a good sign since typically, they exchanged maybe one or two a week. Her finger hovered over the touchpad; she was convinced if she clicked it Demetri would have her before the day was out, but she opened it before she could think anymore.

_Hey Bells,_

_ How are things in DC? Isn't your job interview coming up soon?_

_ I heard you got one heck of a blizzard a few days ago; hope you have chains for your tires. It's raining here, big surprise, haha._

_ Things are going just fine here, caught some kids trying to egg the high school last night. One of them cried when I said I had to call his parents. What was it you called me a while back, a curmudgeon? _

_ Anyway, hope you're getting along okay. Talk to you soon._

_ Dad_

At the mention of her old life, Bella's eyes became glassy. She was supposed to have a job interview the Monday after she'd run. It was a copy editor position, not exactly investigative journalism, but she'd never been so excited for anything in her life. It was a foot in the door and a chance to prove that she could be good at this. She'd picked her outfit out already, a deep blue dress and little heels. It was hanging on the door of her closet. Bella wondered if it was still there as she clicked open the next e-mail, sent a little over a week after she'd left.

_Hey Bells, are things all right? Haven't heard from you in a while. I'm sure you're busy. How did your interview go?_

_ Dad_

She went on to the next and the one after that. Each asked the same thing, _are you okay_, with increasing anxiety.

_Bells, you need to get a hold of me. I've been trying your phone, but it's telling me it's not in service. Did you get a new number?_

There were a few more like this, including one where he asked if he should fly into DC. His only concern was that she was okay until his last e-mail which was sent just that morning. It read:

_What the hell is going on? _

She couldn't tell if he was fed up or angry or if something was happening that she didn't know about. But it was so different from the other messages that she felt a distinct childlike guilt for having kept him in the dark.

Bella had no idea how to get in touch with Charlie without putting him in danger. She was afraid of everything, that they were still following him, tapping his phone, getting into his computer. He was okay for the time being because he knew nothing and she had to keep him safe; she had to keep everyone safe. But she needed his help. Never before had she so badly wanted to curl up and let her dad take care of everything. She didn't care about their past or his absenteeism for most of her life. Bella was just tired and had too many miles to go yet.

Edward knocked. Bella wiped the skin under her eyes and closed out of her e-mail. "Yeah?" She called.

He opened the door and leaned into the room. "You need to come see this."

In the living room, the television was on and an anchorwoman was speaking. She had short blonde hair and the perpetually serious expression of someone that gave out a lot of bad news. Edward reached for the remote to turn up the volume.

"-are looking for this woman, Isabella Dwyer -,"

Bella's picture appeared on the screen. She remembered it from a long weekend trip she'd taken with Demetri six months ago when she was happy. Absently, she thought her father's last e-mail made sense now.

"-wanted in connection to last night's attack on Senator Salazar where fortunately, he was unharmed. Reports indicate that she fled the scene after an alarm was tripped in the -,"

"But," Bella started. _I wasn't there_.

"-say she got close to the senator by dating one of his long time aides."

As she watched, the screen cut to a press conference. Senator Salazar stood at the podium, his hair slicked back and his suit pressed, looking no worse for wear. "Clearly, this is a disturbed young woman whose vivid imaginings have gone too far. I feel, once she is in custody, she will get the help she needs."

It cut back to the anchorwoman, who wrapped up the story before moving on to other news.

Edward turned off the television, waiting for Bella to say anything. He counted seconds until he couldn't take it anymore.

"Well, they're lying; you were here. They're just trying to, what's that phrase?...Smoke you out, make it harder for you to go anywhere or do anything, right? I mean, you're not crazy." He told himself to shut up. "Bella," he tried again, "it'll be okay."

"How?" She asked.

"Because you didn't do anything wrong."

"Edward," she said. "It's not black and white like that. People like him win all the time." She sat on the couch while her mind began circling around the words like _jail time _and_ arrest warrant_. "Even if the video does get out, so what - a sex scandal in Washington, big-fucking-surprise…What _is it?_" She asked, more to herself than to Edward. She leaned over, her hands in her hair. "What is it?" She was trying to make herself figure it out, remember something, anything. "Why go this far? Why ruin my life over this?"

Edward kneeled and pulled Bella's hands down so he could see her face better. He could see the frustration written everywhere and he knew he probably didn't have the right words, but he had some words and he had to try. "They're not going to ruin anything. They're lying, it'll come out."

"Even if the video is made public they won't let this go. You think anyone's going to hire a journalist that was arrested for attacking a U.S. senator? Oh my God," she said, hearing herself. It was real. Now it wasn't just Demetri looking for her; it was everyone. "Oh my God."

She could feel it in her trembling hands and her heart that beat too quickly. This was news and they controlled the news and according to them, she was unstable, violent, and couldn't be trusted to tell the truth. She was going to be found. And then what? Would it hurt?

"Bella," Edward was rubbing her arms. "Breathe."

For a full minute, she listened to his voice and felt the slow circles his thumbs were drawing on her forearms. His touch was light, like air, and after a while she could breathe again.

"We'll figure it out."

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled until he was between her knees. For a second he didn't know what to do with his hands. They stayed at his sides until she pulled again and then he slid them over her hips, up to her waist and around until he was hugging her back. At first, it was awkward. But then he felt her hand in his hair and he buried his face in her neck and it was sort of perfect. He knew it was awful to think that when everything was falling down around her, but it was.

…

Sometime in the late afternoon, Edward and Bella found their way onto the deck. Edward had a theory about how they could think more clearly out in the open air. He wanted to share it with her, but she was watching the sun go down over the ocean and he didn't want to bother her. It was the first time all day she hadn't looked like she was coming apart.

The sun melted down into the water, taking with it the last bit of red, orange, and yellow. Once it was gone, the sky was lavender and the air was cool.

"I was going to go to my dad, he's the chief of police where he lives," Bella said. She was still looking straight ahead. "But I don't think it's safe anymore."

"You can still call him if you want, you can use my phone."

"I'm afraid they'll see your number and know that I'm here."

"How would -," he paused, supposing the government had the means to do what it wanted, "never mind."

"I can't go to the police, Edward." She moved her gaze from the darkening sky to his face. "The video isn't enough leverage. They aren't going to care about the senator cheating on his wife. As soon as I walk in there, I'll be arrested. It won't matter if I have the flash drive or not."

"What about the news? Or the internet, it'll be everywhere before he can do anything about it." He thought about calling Alice to ask her the name of that gossip site she liked so much.

"Then I'll lose whatever small leverage I have right now."

Edward got it after a moment, understanding before she explained. "They know you have it, but they don't know how much you know."

"Exactly," Bella said, thinking out loud. "I haven't made a move yet."

"And now they're trying to put you in a corner, so you have no moves to make."

She nodded.

"You go to the police, you're arrested. You go to the media, they have no reason to keep -," he was going to say _no reason to keep you alive_, but he couldn't.

"There's more to the video than what we're seeing." She said, forcing herself to ignore the words Edward didn't say. It was the only reason she could think of that would explain why they were coming after her so hard.

"We need to figure out what it is."

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks to my pre-readers :) and my present readers.

No announcements this week that I can think of, but I'm sure I'm forgetting something...


	9. Eight: Source

Eight: Source

Monday, February 28th  
7:55 a.m.

Over and over he found her. There was no corner to hide in and no place to run. Somehow, she decided, they were tied to each other and she would always be there, right at the end of the rope.

She clawed at its squeezing and scratching tightness, clawed at her own skin. She could feel the burning around her neck and she knew this was it, but once more she tried to get free. She decided that too, that she would always try at least once more.

_Bella_.

It was what the breeze would sound like if it had a voice. She wanted to close the window and pull up the covers, but she reached and there weren't any.

"Bella," it said again.

This time there was touching. Slight and soft and sort of warm, it touched her shoulder and moved her hair. Not the breeze, but Edward. Because he was there and they were still together in that house by the ocean and Bella was still being chased, but at least now she was closer to knowing why.

Her hands went to her neck, but it was smooth and without the raw sting she expected.

"Bella," Edward said again. "Are you okay?"

His voice was very close and a little above her, but she could feel him too. His shoulder, she thought, she'd fallen asleep on his shoulder. She felt both her arms wrap around his right one and she wondered how long she'd been asleep. His left hand moved to the top of hers and when Bella finally opened her eyes, she saw that their arms looked tangled and she liked it.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

She rubbed her eyes and tried pushing her hair from her face. "Yeah." She cleared her scratchy throat.

"I thought you were having a nightmare, so I wanted you to…not be having one." He stretched the arm she'd been crushing and then he smiled, and then he laughed.

Bella sat up straighter and raised an eyebrow, her mouth twitching upward.

"Sorry," he said, still grinning. "My arm's asleep." He rotated his wrist and flexed his fingers. It made Bella think of something her mom did for her when she was young.

She reached out and grabbed his hand with both of hers. She squeezed, rubbing his fingers with her thumbs until she'd gone all the way up the back of his hand to his wrist. When she looked up, Edward was staring at their hands. "There," she said. "Better?" She loosened her grip, but didn't let go.

He nodded. "Yeah, yeah it's better." He pulled away. "I'm gonna go take a shower."

…

Edward hated having to watch the video again and again, but he did it anyway. They watched it and talked until the still dark hours of the morning when Bella dozed off against him. The more it played, the more they could feel that something wasn't right with it. It wasn't the sex or the senator, but something else they couldn't grasp. Whatever they were watching, it was bigger than a political sex scandal.

Sometime after 3 a.m., Bella got frustrated and told Edward she was going to put the video online, damn the consequences. It sounded good to both of them for a while. It would be out there and Salazar would have to answer for it.

"Going public might protect you," Edward said.

"It might," she agreed. Or it might not, Salazar would still be out there, Demetri would still be out there, and Bella would have played her only hand. She had no idea what they were capable of doing to her and she wondered how her life might be if she spent the rest of it waiting for their revenge.

By the end of the night, the two were no further along than at the beginning. But Edward was still in it with her and he wasn't going anywhere. So, after his shower, he called his lab and said he had the flu. He figured it bought him at least a week.

…

Edward and Bella didn't watch the video again that morning, but the flash drive and the laptop stayed within arm's reach. He could feel her impatience and he tried to distract her by talking about other things, but she was adamant. After a few hours and a move outdoors, she leaned over, head in hands.

"I didn't want it to come to this." She said.

He looked from the balcony railing toward her. In the sun, pieces of her hair glinted red. "Come to what?"

"We're going to need help." She pushed down on her knees and stood up; she probably would have started pacing if she wasn't between the chairs.

After a pause she said, "I know someone." Edward could tell she was more than reluctant to talk about it so he waited, taking his cues from her. She looked at the railing and then past it to the ocean. "She's a friend, she's – she might be able to help us." She looked at him. "I'm going to need a new phone."

Edward offered her the use of his, but she refused. She said she wanted a burner phone, something she could use and then throw away.

They went out together, despite his protests Bella needed to leave the house. She promised to stay in the car and then handed him some cash, but he handed it back to her. There was a market a few blocks down the beach; it was a place Edward would have normally walked to, but they were too wary of the police to do that. Even with the new hair color, she didn't want to be recognized. And she'd been so cut off from the world, she had no idea how big this story was becoming.

Edward parked and fed quarters into the meter. He gave her a little smile before he walked into the store. She watched him through the glass and then watched the people going by. She wondered about their lives and what problems they were having and she thought that she would be willing to take any of them if it meant she could get rid of hers.

From the left, two police officers approached on the sidewalk. One was tall; he wore sunglasses and looked like the man who'd come after her in North Carolina. Bella leaned her head on her hand, pretending to be any woman waiting in the car for someone to come back. She watched them from the edge of her vision and waited for one of them to look over. They would recognize her, she thought. The blonde one with the sunglasses, he would see her and he would know. They came closer and she looked through the glass window, begging for Edward to hurry. One of the cops laughed. The blonde glanced at her and she froze. He looked away, looked at her again, and then looked away for good. When they walked into the market, Edward walked out. He held the door for them.

He opened the car door, balancing his things in one hand. When she reached out to help, he gave them to her.

"The phone is on top," he said. "And I got you some newspapers and stuff; I know you're probably going stir crazy. There's an L.A. Times and an Orange County Register, and magazines too, and there's an OC Weekly – that's just for fun."

"Thank you," she thumbed through the stack. "That's sort of perfect, actually."

"You should have seen the cashier when I put down Cosmo."

She smiled.

"Alice likes it."

…

"Is she a – a shut-in?" Edward wasn't sure what the proper terminology was for a person like that.

"Basically," Bella answered. "She's a conspiracy theorist and a little – different, but brilliant."

"How do you know her, though, if she never goes out?"

"College, she and I wrote on the school paper together." Bella leaned her back against the railing and tried to remember how to contact her. After a minute, she punched in the area code and what she hoped was the right number. It rang twice and Bella hung up. She re-dialed and let it ring once before hanging up again.

"What -,"

Bella put her hand up. The phone rang.

"Hey Rose, it's me."

There was a pause long enough for her to wonder if they'd been cut off, followed by, "Is this a secure line?"

"Rose...,"

"Fine, would you mind telling me what the hell is going on? You realize you're on the news for being some kind of stalker, right?"

"Are you sitting down?"

…

Edward listened while Bella recounted everything. He sat at the end of the chair closest to her, which made him eye level with her hip when he slouched. Eventually, she sat with him, pushing the side of her leg into his. He smiled and she gave him an apologetic look. _You don't have to stay out here._

He shrugged and rested his elbows on his knees. _I want to_.

Bella saved mention of the sex tape for last.

"Nice."

"No, not nice, Rosalie."

"Okay, so you don't think the tape is a big enough thing to warrant the shit-storm you're in even though that alone will ruin his career?"

"Right."

Rosalie hummed under her breath and went quiet for a long time while Bella waited. She switched the phone to her left hand and tugged on a loose thread at the knee of Edward's jeans. The spot had worn so thin that it was white, but there wasn't a hole yet. Her fingers were light and absent over the soft fabric while Edward watched, unwilling to move for fear that she'd stop.

"Did you know Salazar is already a favorite for president in the next election?" Rosalie said.

Bella could hear her tapping on a keyboard; it was the sound that most reminded her of her old friend. "I'd heard a little about it." Demetri had mentioned it on occasion, but Bella thought it an exaggeration.

"Send me the video."

"What? Why?" She let go of Edward's threads.

"Well," Rosalie spoke as if to a child, "I can't help you figure out what's going on in that tape if I can't see it." She told Bella to open a dummy e-mail address and send it over. "Don't send it from your friend's computer. Go to that internet café on Broadway, the one in Laguna."

"How do you -,"

"This is part of what I do, my friend. I'll be waiting." She hung up. Rosalie never said goodbye; she told her once when she'd been drinking that she didn't like things that felt so final.

…

Edward tried to hand her an old baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses from the glove compartment, but Bella said she didn't need them.

"Have you ever seen those pictures of celebrities when they try to blend in? All that stuff just makes them stand out." She just had to walk inside and act normal, she told herself.

Edward got out of the car when Bella did.

"What -,"

"I'm going with you."

"But -,"

"I'm going with you." He shut his door.

They walked in together and paid for thirty minutes though it would only take five. Edward led her to a terminal near the corner and pulled out a neighboring chair, moving it perpendicular to Bella's. There were six other people that he could see, mostly college kids. One girl drank from a large coffee cup and bobbed her head though there was no music and she wasn't wearing headphones. Closest to where they sat, an older man typed without pausing.

Edward wanted to move his chair closer. He wanted to put his arms around Bella and make them disappear. He wanted her to have met him first.

"Done," she said.

They were both quiet as they pushed their chairs in and headed for the exit. Edward's hand hesitated near the small of her back before going slack at his side.

"Hey."

Edward froze, but Bella tugged on his arm. "Keep walking," she mumbled.

"Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?" It was the old man, the one that typed so fast.

"Keep walking," Bella said again.

"You're that girl from the television," he said. "I knew it was you." He was pushing his chair back just as Bella and Edward hit the door.

They were on the sidewalk and down the street before the old man could stand.

Bella held Edward's hand and talked low. "Don't go to the car, just keep walking. See the Starbucks across the street? We'll go there and wait for him to leave. If we're lucky, he won't call the police."

Edward hit the button at the crosswalk. "And if we're not?"

"I'll have to leave."

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks to my pre-readers, and to you. Sorry for the delay, I suck, writer's block sucks, I hope this chapter doesn't suck.

On a different note, I'm writing a little something for the Fandom Fights Tsunami compilation. You can go to my profile for more information. It's a great cause and a great group of people; please check it out.


	10. Nine: Help

Last time...

...

_They were both quiet as they pushed their chairs in and headed for the exit. Edward's hand hesitated near the small of her back before going slack at his side._

_"Hey."_

_Edward froze, but Bella tugged on his arm. "Keep walking," she mumbled._

_"Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?" It was the old man, the one that typed so fast._

_"Keep walking," Bella said again._

_"You're that girl from the television," he said. "I knew it was you." He was pushing his chair back just as Bella and Edward hit the door._

_They were on the sidewalk and down the street before the old man could stand._

_Bella held Edward's hand and talked low. "Don't go to the car, just keep walking. See the Starbucks across the street? We'll go there and wait for him to leave. If we're lucky, he won't call the police."_

_Edward hit the button at the crosswalk. "And if we're not?"_

_"I'll have to leave."_

_...  
_

Nine: Help

Monday, February 28th  
4:09 p.m.

_But I don't want you to leave. _It was a sorry excuse, but it was the only one Edward had. He was just barely getting to know Bella, and not even that. His knowledge base was only the last few months of her life. He wanted to know about her job, if she still had one. She'd mentioned something about being a reporter. He wanted to know how she got the little scar on her elbow and what her favorite color was and if she had a best friend. He wanted to be with her when they weren't running from or chasing something.

They got to the other side of the street without looking back, though Edward had to work hard to fight the urge. The Starbucks was two storefronts away; they would have a clear view of the internet café from there.

Bella kept her hand in Edward's even after he opened the door for her. He let her lead him to a small table at the window where they sat down.

"Do you see anything?" He asked. He couldn't look without being obvious.

"No, I don't think -," she hesitated. "Wait, he's there."

Edward watched her face, desperate to turn around.

"I don't know, he's just standing out there…," she said, keeping her voice down. "Shit, he has a phone out." Her eyes darted from the window to a hallway in the back, already half standing. "There's probably a door back there."

Edward grabbed her forearms and pulled her back down. He didn't know what to say, but he knew her taking off with no place to go was a bad idea. She stared at him with her lips parted as if to argue.

"Just wait, okay? Please? Is he still out there?" He let her go, feeling bad for holding her so hard. Though, she looked more surprised than anything.

"He's on the phone, Edward. I need to get out of here."

"But you don't know who he's talking to. It wouldn't be smart for him for him to call the police -,"

Bella shushed him.

"– like that, all because you look a little like someone he saw on TV," he said.

"But it _was_ me."

"What if he meant an actress?" Edward grasped at straws. "There's a lot of those here. Even Alice was signed up with Central Casting before her salon job."

Bella looked over Edward's shoulder. The man was gesturing toward the street. He didn't look like someone recounting the sighting of someone famous, not for acting anyway. He stopped in front of Edward's car and Bella held her breath, but he gave it no more than a passing glance.

To her left, she heard a woman ordering a lemon bar and tea. "What if he didn't? If he recognized me like this that means someone else will." She thought about how sensational her story must be. It had just the right mix of sex, obsession, and politics to make it huge.

Edward sat watching her, wondering the same thing.

…

They sat in the crowded coffee shop until Bella's stomach rumble became distracting.

"C'mon," Edward reached a hand out to help her up. "He left 20 minutes ago."

She kept looking out the window, like if she watched long enough everything would play out and she'd have all her answers.

"You haven't eaten since this morning; that's not good for you."

Bella glanced at her crumb covered napkin. "I had a cookie."

"You shared it with me so we could keep the table. And it doesn't count, anyway. There's no nutritional value in half a cookie." He grinned a little, hoping to lighten the mood.

She took the hand that was still extended. "Do you know the nutrition facts of a chocolate chip cookie?"

"Yes. Well, no…it depends on the brand. I haven't had _all_ the cookies, but in general I could tell you."

"Edward."

"Yes?"

"We need to go now."

"Right."

…

Edward's phone rang again. He hit ignore again, knowing he would pay for it later. Instead of answering, he was trying to convince Bella to stay in Balboa with him. It was clear to him that she wasn't thinking it through, which may have worked before, but now the stakes were higher and more people were looking for her.

"Where would you go?"

Bella was walking around the living room with no particular destination in mind. "I don't know." She went through the places she hadn't been yet and thought that a small, less populated town would work best, but that was as far as she'd gotten.

Edward also wanted to ask: _what about me?_ But he was afraid of the answer.

He didn't know that Bella was thinking the same thing. What about Edward? She couldn't ask him to go with her, but she didn't think she could go back to being alone. That's the thing that had her up and pacing. She didn't want to leave him.

They both jumped at the sound of a key in the lock. Edward stood up, blocking whoever it was from seeing Bella before he realized it could only be one person.

"Oh hey," he said, taking a step to the side. "What are -," Alice's boyfriend followed her inside. "Oh," he said again.

"Hey, man." Jasper said, taking in the surprised expressions.

Bella stood silently at Edward's side.

Alice was uncharacteristically quiet as well until Jasper glanced at her and a switch flipped. "Will somebody please explain to me why I'm now an accessory to a crime?"

"Wh -,"

"Because I'd really like to know." She approached the two until only the couch stood between them. "Isabella-_bad breakup_-Dwyer? You failed to mention that it was bad because you were _stalking_ him. What the hell is going on? Edward, did you know about this?"

"Alice, leave her alone -,"

"I'm not stalking anybody."

She scoffed. "Of course not. Maybe it was just a slow news week, right? I mean, they need something to talk about. You're on the _internet_ Isabella, there's gonna be a freaking write-up about you in _People _for Christ sakes. Did you think I wouldn't find out?" She paused and the anger rolled off her tiny form. "What are you doing with my brother? If you hurt him, I swear to God I'll have the cops on your ass faster than you can blink."

"Alice," Jasper had come up behind her during her tirade and was now trying to calm her down. He whispered something Edward and Bella couldn't hear. When she faced them again, she was at least breathing normally.

Edward ran a hand over the back of his head, shifting his weight from right to left. "I think…I think maybe we should talk."

"Edward," Bella said, panic creeping into her voice.

"I need to tell her _something_." He faced her and spoke quietly. "It's okay. Just stay here, it'll only take a minute. Just – stay here, okay?"

She said she would.

Before Alice could say something sarcastic, he led her into the guest room and closed the door.

Bella sat on the coffee table, her elbows on her knees. Jasper moved around the couch to sit on its arm. "Are you all right?" He asked.

She huffed softly, her eyes already watering. "Yeah."

"I'm Jasper, by the way."

"Bella."

"Sorry about the storming in part."

She shrugged.

"Alice is just upset."

"She should be."

They sat together in uncomfortable silence, broken when Jasper moved from the arm to the seat of the couch. "When I was in high school, I caught this guy making out with Stacy Hogue behind the gym. She was like our town's pariah, her dad was a drunk, she had no friends…she liked to make these little finger puppet things out of notebook paper."

Bella looked up, wondering why he was telling her this.

"Anyway, this guy – I forget his name – was pissed. Instead of threatening me or something, he went around and told the whole school that it was me behind the gym with Stacy. When I tried to tell the truth, of course, nobody believed me."

"So…what hap -,"

The door to the guest room opened. Edward followed Alice out, who looked much calmer. When she sat on the couch, Jasper put his arm around her. She cleared her throat. "Sorry for the storming in…and all the yelling."

Bella shook her head. "No, I should never have gotten any of you involved…I'm trying to fix that now."

"By doing what?"

She hesitated, looking at her hands instead of anyone's eyes. "I'm leaving."

"Bella -,"

"It's best, for you guys."

"The hell it is," Alice said. "You need us."

"I – what? No, Alice, you're already too involved. If something happened to any of you…,"

"Yeah, I know. Can we skip to the part where you give in?"

"This isn't a game. And I won't let you guys get hurt because of me."

Alice frowned. "Bella -,"

"No." She stood up. "I'm sorry…I've got to go." She grabbed her things over the sound of raised voices and walked out the door, closing it firmly behind her.

…

The sun was setting and she had no place to go. Even the crappiest motels were too expensive. So she decided to walk, believing she'd figure out something if she could just keep moving. She kept the ocean on her left, following the coast north, but she could barely hear it above the din of traffic. After a few minutes, she passed the store where Edward bought her all the newspapers. Even then she had to smile at his thoughtfulness. But he deserved so much more than what she could offer, at the very least, he deserved his old life back.

When the sun touched the water, she stopped to watch it.

_What am I going to do? _

If anyone answered, she didn't hear it.

She stayed on the concrete bike path and toed the sand with her boot. They were scuffed beyond repair and idly she began to wish she'd brought sneakers. She had an old worn pair that both her mother and Demetri hated; it had always been reason enough for her to wear them often.

She remembered when he bought her the boots. He liked seeing her in heels, she liked being comfortable. So they compromised.

"Alice tells me that wearing jeans on the beach should be a crime unless they're shorts."

Bella felt Edward stand next to her on the path. They were close enough that the outside edges of their hands touched.

"She has a lot of these weird beliefs," he said. "I don't know how she comes up with them."

They watched the water and Bella thought she could do that every day. The beach was empty and the traffic noise had dulled and she could smell the salt and Edward's soap. A breeze pushed the hair away from her face and she knew if she looked up Edward's hair would be even more untamed than usual.

When the afternoon faded to evening, she spoke. "How did you find me?"

"Oh…well, I checked the bus station and when you weren't there, I figured you'd go in a straight line since you're unfamiliar with the area and the easiest way to do that would be to follow the ocean. I took PCH for a while, but then I thought maybe you'd want to watch the sunset."

"I think you're the smartest person I've ever met." She offered up a small smile.

He shrugged, scratching the back of his head. "The north thing was just a lucky guess."

There wasn't any particular moment when it happened, but they knew things had changed between them. Into what, neither could be certain.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"So are we, Alice didn't mean any harm. She just gets caught up in things…,"

Bella shook her head. "She doesn't need to apologize, and neither do you."

He stepped closer. "Just…don't do that again, okay? It makes people worry."

"I won't." She promised.

Edward threaded his fingers through hers and she let him lead her home.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks to my pre-readers and my present readers.

No news this week, hope you enjoyed the chapter :)


	11. Ten: Identity

Ten: Identity

Monday, February 28th  
6:36 p.m.

"Oh, by the way, you left your phone on the counter," Edward said. He squeezed her hand, more because of nerves than affection. "Your friend called."

He meant Rosalie; she was the only one with the number besides Edward. "Did you talk to her?"

He made a sound similar to laughter and let go of her hand. "Well, I tried."

They got to his car and he opened Bella's door. She sat down, holding her bag the way a person might hold a toddler in their lap. Edward could tell what kind of mood she was in by how close she kept her backpack, so things were not looking good. Though she said she wouldn't run away again, that didn't mean she wouldn't do something else. He still wasn't entirely sure what kind of risk taker she was - a big one he would venture to guess.

"It was my fault; I should have known she'd have some kind of signal…thing, like the way you called her. I picked up right away -,"

"What happened? Did she lose it?"

"No, well, I don't know. She just hung up. But I tried calling her back – the way you did – to, you know, explain everything and she hasn't called back…," Edward looked over, fighting the urge to start apologizing, which didn't work. "I'm really sorry…I should have just left it alone. I have the phone with me…," he motioned toward the glove compartment.

Bella rubbed two fingertips between her eyebrows. She wasn't mad at Edward like he thought she would be; she was merely exhausted.

Bella checked the phone in case they'd missed a call, or calls, in the time they'd been on the beach. They hadn't. She tried calling Rose, going through the steps, and then sat the phone on top of her bag.

Edward pulled up to the house. "Um…Alice and Jasper are still here."

"It's okay," she said, feeling guilt and embarrassment in equal amounts. "It's your house."

"I just didn't want you to be surprised."

She swung her backpack onto her shoulder and was going to say again that it was okay when her phone rang. "Hello? Rose?"

Edward went up the stairs and unlocked the door before looking back. Bella followed him inside, the phone pressed to her ear while she waited for Rosalie to speak.

"Why the hell was Morrissey answering the phone before?"

"Morrissey?" The question stopped Bella in the space between the kitchen and the living room. She saw Alice and Jasper on the couch and when she smiled in their direction they waved back at the same time. It was the way someone might greet a relative in a mental hospital. _No sudden movements_.

"Yeah, your boyfriend over there – I work with you only, that's the deal."

She knew it was wholly irrelevant, but her tired mind was stuck on the subject. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that, it's kind of a long story, but…why are you calling him Morrissey?"

Alice spoke quietly, saying, "Oh, yeah, I can see that."

Edward looked between the women, confused.

"I don't know, that's just the first thing that popped into my head when I saw him."

"_Saw_ him?"

"Yeah, you've got to admit, it's a pretty good resemblance." There was a crunching sound, like chips. "You told me his first name and where he was a grad student. It was pretty easy to get the rest. So, does he have the short hair or the long hair? Because I found pictures of both."

"Rosalie -,"

"I was just wondering."

"Short, I guess…well, shorter than it was a couple days ago, I…," she wasn't going to have this conversation and she said so. "And by the way, your ability to find information on people is a little frightening."

Bella looked at Edward and pointed to the bedroom before retreating to have the rest of their talk in private.

"Don't act so surprised."

Bella sat on the bed only long enough to take her boots off and flick on a lamp, afraid that if she got comfortable she'd fall asleep. "So, I take it you've got something for me?"

"Of course I do," more crunching. "Sometimes I'm amazed these people can tie their own shoes, let alone run this country. It's scary, seriously. Anyway, it seems our dear senator left me a nice little money trail to follow."

"Oh?" Now Bella was paying attention.

"Yeah, remember that big huff here a few years ago about government officials making their tax returns public? Transparency and all that."

Bella said that she did.

"Well, Salazar released his for that year, mistake number one. But I'm still working on that." Bella could tell that Rosalie was smiling. "So, I recognized that place they were at, it's the Hotel St. Claire here in Washington. They should really beef up security at that place, getting a hold of their records was almost too easy...," she cleared her throat to get down to business.

"Salazar's been checking into it on his dime for one night about once a month for the last year, give or take. He checked in under the name Demetri Augustine, sound familiar?" Rosalie typed something into a keyboard. "What did you do this past Labor Day?"

"What? Uhh, Demetri and I got a beach house in Ocean City, why?"

"Just checking, he didn't by any chance disappear for – say – a day while you were out there?"

"Definitely not." Bella remembered that weekend well. It was one of the last times things were really good between them.

"That's what I thought. Anyway, the good news is that we know Salazar's been racking up some serious hotel bills with this thing."

"And the bad news?"

"If you still think there's more than this, you're going to have to find that girl. I have a couple more things I can try, but we need to figure out who she is."

Bella was expecting it, but that didn't stop the cold sweat from forming on the back of her neck. Finding this girl wasn't something she could do long distance, even with Rosalie's help. She'd need to see her and talk to her, face to face. She'd need to go back to Washington.

"What about that kid?" Rosalie asked. "The one they beat up that night? You said he might have been the one with the flash drive in the first place, right?"

Bella had speculated with her friend that the boy was in the alley to blackmail the senator with evidence of his affair, but she couldn't be sure. "I didn't recognize him and I don't even know if that's where Demetri got it, anyway."

"Okay, well, don't go anywhere yet. Let me check something out. I'll be in touch." Rosalie hung up before Bella could say thank you. As fast as Rose worked though, she knew she'd get another chance soon. Bella rubbed her eyes with one hand. Her day from hell seemed to be never ending.

In the living room, the others were eating a various array of food spread out on the coffee table. The television was on, some movie was playing that Bella was pretty sure no one was watching. They all turned when she came out and Alice flipped on a light on the side table.

Edward jumped up and met her in the kitchen. "I made you a turkey sandwich." He smiled and offered her the plate, which she took. She still hadn't eaten since the cookie at Starbucks several hours prior.

"Thanks," she smiled back, feeling every inch the shy teenage girl she no longer was.

"Are you thirsty? There's soda, and juice if you want that, or bottled water. And I think there might be wine here too, but you shouldn't have that on an empty stomach."

Bella looked at Edward just long enough to make him reach up and touch his hair. "What?" He asked.

"Nothing, I…how long was I in there?" He was acting like she'd been gone forever.

"Oh, a little while, I'm not sure. Why?"

Bella smiled up at him. "Just wondering."

"Let the woman breathe for a minute," Alice called.

Edward followed Bella back into the living room where he sat down again. Bella took the free chair near him. She bit into her sandwich, wanting to get at least one bite down before she started talking. However reluctantly that might be. She looked at Alice and Jasper, who were both watching her with varying degrees of expectation. Her gaze moved to Edward.

"You can trust them, Bella." He said.

"How much do you both know?" She set her food down.

"Well," Alice spoke up. "I know that you have an incriminating video of that Marcus Salazar guy and that his people are looking for you…and that's why there's that thing in the news about you," she looked contrite. "Sorry again – about that."

Bella waved off the apology. "I would have done the same thing." She inhaled like she was about to say something and looked at Edward, who nodded. "The video is of the senator and a prostitute - well, it's a safe assumption that's what she is, we're not sure. I have a contact back in Washington that figured out which hotel they were filmed at and traced the money back to him."

"Well, that's good. Can you take that to the police or something?" She asked.

Bella said that she could, but that meant Salazar and his aides would remain free, which was something she couldn't live with. "Their reaction is too big. This isn't some Client 9 deal."

Jasper leaned forward, his mind working. "Where do you go from here? Can your contact find that girl?"

"Well, not really. She could find her, potentially, but she wouldn't talk to her. My contact is…she doesn't like strangers. And she doesn't leave her home. Ever, for anything."

"But, this is – huge."

Bella shook her head. "_Ever._ Trust me."

"So," he continued. "Even if she found this girl, that's as far as she'd take it?"

"Yeah."

Edward realized it at the same time Jasper said it. "Does this mean you'll have to talk to this girl when you find her?"

"You can't go back to Washington, Bella." Edward said, almost over his friend's question.

"There's still some stuff to check out, but…I think I'm going to have to. I don't know yet."

Edward stood up and walked out onto the deck. Bella watched him go, already setting her plate down to go after him.

"He cares about you," Alice said. "We all do."

Bella thought again about how she couldn't love these people. And then she thought about how she already did. She excused herself and walked outside, shutting the door behind her.

Edward was leaning over the railing, his chin near his chest. With the curtains drawn inside, it was difficult to see him. Bella reached forward, coming into contact with his arm. He didn't pull away so she left her hand there.

After a pause, he mumbled, "I feel like I'm always on the verge of losing you."

She wanted to say that he wouldn't, but she didn't want to say something like that unless she was sure. Instead she tugged on his shirt sleeve until he turned around. He wrapped his arms around her and she pressed in closer. It was a small and perfect moment within the eye of the storm. They held on to each other for a long time.

Slowly, like waking up, they relaxed into it. Edward spoke near Bella's ear. "Your hair smells good."

She laughed into his chest and rose up on her toes.

He felt the small slide of her body and inhaled to say the thing he'd been thinking about. "If you're going to Washington, I'm going with you."

She nodded, knowing it was useless to argue with him.

After another minute, they heard the doorknob turn so they let go. Alice poked her head out. "Hey, sorry but, Bella, your phone was ringing. Actually, it just rang twice, and then again…I don't know, it was weird." She walked out all the way and handed her the phone, glancing between the two before walking back inside.

Bella punched in Rosalie's number. She picked up on the first ring. "Tell me I'm a genius."

"What?" Bella asked.

"Our senator has been making wire transfers for the last year to the Volturi Consulting Group."

"What's that?"

"Nothing, it just a shell company for a place called The Elite. Unfortunately though, that's as far as I got. They have shit for an online presence and the financials just take me back to these shell corporations. I'll keep looking." There was nothing Rosalie loved more than a good challenge. "Now will you say it?"

"You're a genius, Rosalie."

"I know."

"Am I allowed to ask how you found all this?"

"Don't ask the question unless you want the answer." She typed something and Bella wondered what else she might find out before the sun came up. The girl didn't sleep. "Bella, I can give you the information, but that's as far as I go. I think you need to come back here."

She glanced at Edward, who had given her space, but was still looking in her direction. "I know."

"I'll call you tomorrow with what I've got, okay?"

"Okay, thanks Rose."

"Yep." She hung up.

"Well," Bella said.

"Washington?" Edward asked, coming closer.

She took his hand. "Washington."

…

"Wait," Edward said. They were all in the living room. Everything had been cleared from the coffee table, which had been pushed to the side. They'd fixed up the couch, which was also a bed, for Alice and Jasper who weren't leaving any time soon. Bella was afraid for them, but a softer part of her was touched at the way they rallied around her.

Alice looked at her brother, eyebrows raised.

"How are you going to get on a plane? The police are looking for you."

"I took a bus to get out here," Bella replied. "I can just do that again."

"I don't think you have that kind of time anymore."

"The cops are looking for her, yeah, but do you really think she'll get spotted in a crowded airport?" Alice asked. "I mean, it's not like there will be police or something standing around waiting for her, right?"

Bella thought about it. "It might work normally, but not with Salazar. My name will be flagged or something; someone there will have my picture." She could see herself getting arrested before she got to the gate. She sat heavily on the arm of the couch, how had that not occurred to her? "How the hell am I going to get out of here? I'll need all new identification."

Jasper cleared his throat. "I think I can help you with that."

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks to my pre-readers and to everyone that reads/reviews/recs/and so on.

I added a new picture to the GBG photo gallery on my homepage, which you can get to via my profile here. Someone asked very nicely for a picture of Edward's computer wallpaper, so that's what it is.

Also, I'm so glad you guys like Rosalie, you'll definitely be seeing more of her.


	12. Eleven: Forged

Eleven: Forged

Tuesday, March 1st  
3:14 a.m.

Edward couldn't sleep. He left the quiet of the guest room, intent on going out onto the balcony, but had forgotten about Alice and Jasper sleeping a couple of yards from the door. He was afraid to wake them so instead, he went to the kitchen.

He paced and then stopped himself to lean against the counter and look at Bella's door. After that, he went back to pacing.

_This is a bad idea_.

_This might actually work_.

…

Jasper cleared his throat. "I think I can help you with that."

Alice didn't look surprised, but Edward and Bella did. "How?" She asked.

"I know someone; he owes my family a favor. He's in the business."

Alice opened her mouth, but Jasper shook his head.

Edward balked at the idea. He didn't want to lie and he didn't want to see Bella dive headlong into the fire, but she was determined and if he argued she'd probably go on ahead without him. Stubborn, he added it to the growing list of things he knew about her. When she sat down, he put his arm over the back of the couch. The best he could hope for would be to go and keep her safe as much as possible.

Alice found a notepad for Jasper while he asked Bella questions. "Birthday?"

"September 13th." When she told him the year he said she should make herself a couple of years older.

Edward gave the beach house's address when Jasper asked.

Bella told him her height and weight and he could see her hair and eye color. "What about my name? Swan is my dad's last name, but Demetri knows it."

Jasper wrote something down. "You're gonna be a Cullen."

"But Edward only has one sister."

"Not sister, wife. Don't worry, I'll make it look legal and its reason enough for you to be traveling together if anyone were to look at the flight manifest." He shrugged. "It happens."

Edward started thinking hard about what else he didn't know about his sister's boyfriend. He pulled her outside sometime well after midnight.

She squared her shoulders and was talking before he opened his mouth. "Don't get all high and mighty on me, Edward Cullen. Jasper didn't have the same kind of upbringing we did." Alice all but stuck her finger in his face. "Things were hard for him."

Edward looked down at his sister's fierce expression and put a hand up. "I'm not mad; I just wish you'd told me."

"He didn't want to tell you because he was afraid of how you'd react. He's a good man."

"I know." He made a face. "You sound just like mom when you use my first and last name like that."

"Just count yourself lucky I didn't throw in the Anthony."

…

"_Shit_."

Edward looked at the closed bedroom door in the darkness. Bella was awake and cursing, apparently. He gripped the knob, but then thought better and knocked as quietly as he could manage.

Bella appeared, standing on her left foot, her right elevated a couple inches off the ground. She whispered, "Sorry. Was that loud?"

He shook his head. "I was already up."

She opened the door wide enough to let him in and then hopped a couple of feet to the bed. "Stubbed my toe on the footboard," she sat back against her pillow. "Pacing, couldn't sleep."

Edward sat by her feet. "Jasper said it would take a couple of days."

"I know. But I feel like the longer we wait, the colder the trail is going to get."

"Are you going to hear from Rosalie again?"

Bella put her legs under the covers. "She said she'd call tomorrow – or today, I guess."

"That's something then." He toyed with the bedspread and with what he wanted to say next. "I know it sucks being stuck here," _with me_, "but we'll figure it out." He touched the top of her foot over the blanket. "You'll be back to your normal life in no time."

There wasn't anything Bella could think of to say to that so instead, she patted the empty space next to her and Edward crawled over. She lifted the blankets for him.

He leaned back against the headboard and waited, wishing he hadn't said anything about her going back to Washington for good. He didn't know what she would do, or what he would do if she left.

Bella kept her voice low, mindful of the sleeping couple in the other room. "I like it here…I lived in Florida for a little while with my mom. She had this place right on the water, we used to sit out on the patio when we couldn't sleep and just listen to the ocean. It's my favorite thing to do, I think."

She looked over so she was talking to Edward instead of the far wall. "This is going to sound stupid, but I feel like I have more of a life here than I ever did in D.C." She meant it, but had no idea what it meant for whatever future she had. "Not the hiding, just the Alice and Jasper part, and the you part." She blushed, just a little, something she hadn't done since high school.

Edward's mouth ticked up at the corner while Bella scooted down until she was on her side. She pulled the blanket up to her chin. "Do you want me to close the window?" He asked.

Bella told him no and that she couldn't sleep in a bedroom with no open windows because it made her feel like she couldn't breathe. He added it to his things he knew about Bella list.

"Will you stay?" She asked. "I mean, you don't have to sleep with – in here, but…?" She wondered when she'd gotten so tongue tied.

He said that he would before stretching out on his stomach, his face toward her. He closed his eyes and listened to Bella fall asleep. Edward stayed with her all night.

…

The next morning, they woke up together. Sometime during the night, they'd faced each other, but not quite near enough to touch. The dip in the mattress from Bella sitting up woke Edward, who was very aware of their closeness. They smiled and said good morning and then retreated to the kitchen.

"I almost forgot I need to take your picture." Jasper said. There was a camera on the counter, ready and waiting.

"Can't she shower first?" Alice asked. She glanced up to see Edward following Bella from the bedroom. Bella turned and left to get ready and avoid any awkward conversation.

Once she finished, Jasper took her picture against a blank wall and then left to do whatever it was he was going to do. Alice wanted to go, but Jasper kissed her and said no. Edward turned the television on to the news after Jasper left and Bella went outside, phone in hand.

She sat, bouncing her heel and trying to spin her phone on the seat in front of her, but it hardly moved. She flipped it over and tried that way, but it made no difference.

"Isn't there a saying about a watched cell never ringing?" Alice sat down in the next chair. "I know – watched pot, but whatever, there should be."

"Hey." Bella leaned back, pretending she wasn't crawling out of her skin, but kept her phone within arm's reach. "Where's -,"

"Inside, he's trying to look like he's not going crazy too. Are you waiting for your friend?"

"Yeah, we're kind of at a standstill until I hear something. Listen, Alice, is Jasper going to be okay doing this?" Bella worried about which laws they were all trampling on to help her. And that no matter how she tried not to, she kept pulling people along for the ride. She thought about throwing the flash drive into the ocean, and then about jumping in after it.

"He'll be fine. His family had some business connections with this lawyer back when Jasper was in school. This is on the lighter side of what Jasper has done," she lifted the corner of her mouth.

Bella frowned, unable and not completely willing to put the pieces of Jasper's old life together.

"It was bad," Alice answered the question Bella hadn't asked. "But he left when he turned eighteen. And then we met a couple years ago…," she smiled. "Things are better, getting better, I mean. Having Edward around is good too; neither of them are very social." She laughed. "I took them out to dinner when they first met; I think I was the only person to say a word all night.

"Bella," Alice changed the subject. "Edward likes you."

"I like him too."

"No, like – I feel thirteen again – _likes_ you." Alice widened her eyes for emphasis. They were the exact same color as Edward's.

"Oh."

"I'm not saying it to give you one of those sisterly threat speeches; I just wanted you to know. And besides, I like you."

Bella smiled at that and felt a new kind of fluttering that had nothing to do with the senator or broken laws. She fiddled with her phone that had somehow made it into her hands again. "I've thought about it – what it might have been like if I was here, like a normal person. And we'd met."

"Well, get through this part. Then we'll see what happens."

Bella was going to say something about that being great in theory when her phone rang. It could only be Rosalie, so she waited and then called her back. Alice sat sideways in her chair, barely containing her wholly inappropriate excitement.

Rose answered right away. "Tell me I'm a -,"

"You're a genius."

"Thank you."

"I take it you found something?" Bella stood up, her body fidgety from nerves and impatience.

"You bet I did. Are you sitting down?"

"No, I can't sit right now."

"All right, so The Elite doesn't have an online presence, that's what I told you last night, right? Wrong. Sneaky bastards," Rosalie chuckled. She must have been impressed. "The Elite is part of a shell site for _Building Bridges_. They run this shit on a charity site for kids. Anyway, even if you can find it, you can't get on without a log-in and a password. I'm sending you the link for the charity site. Go to the Corporate Partners page and you'll see a period on the bottom left side, that's it. But you won't be able to get in without the log-in."

Bella memorized the instructions anyway. "Why all the cloak and dagger? These places aren't exactly secret, are they?" She had no frame of reference, but she'd seen enough of these scandals in the news to know an escort service wasn't difficult to find.

"No idea. Maybe it's an exclusivity thing." She was quiet for a beat, thinking it over. "Or maybe they offer something else? Anyway, that's not the best part."

"Best part?"

"This place is invitation-only."

"Okay." Bella didn't understand how that was a good thing.

"So, I got you an invitation."

"You…_what?_ But how?" She'd known Rosalie for a long time, but she'd never really understood the depth of her friend's ability. It was intimidating.

"Not you actually, your boyfriend. I could probably have gotten one for you too, but it would be too risky. You're fun; I want to keep you around." She typed away on her keyboard like this work was an everyday occurrence.

"How?" Bella asked again.

"Hey, you have sources, I have sources." She cleared her throat. "I helped a guy hide some money last year, he owed me."

"A guy?"

"Guy, congressman, whatever. I was gonna ask for more help, but he's kind of a nervous one. I didn't want to chance it.

"Anyway, don't get on a plane yet. I'm going to overnight the invite to you and some other info. I had to make some new stuff for Edward to make him rich; this is just for Elite, so tell him to use his regular identification to fly. Do you need ID? I forgot to ask before."

She did that too? "Uh no, I'm covered." Briefly, Bella thought about how nice it was when she knew nothing and her biggest worry was repaying her student loans.

Rosalie told her to expect a shipping envelope in two days and that she'd call when it arrived to explain more. "It's hard to do without the paperwork sitting in front of you. Talk to you in a couple days." She hung up.

"So?" Alice asked.

Bella ignored the excitement in her voice. "I'm going to need to talk to Edward."

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks to my pre-readers. And thanks to everyone for being patient these last few weeks; I had some big girl stuff to deal with.

So, as a token of my appreciation, reviewers get teasers this week (and not the same teaser I post on ADF)

:)


	13. Twelve: Fly

Twelve: Fly

Friday, March 4th  
7:38 a.m.

_Oh God, Oh God, Oh God…_

_ Okay, it's cool. Be cool. Look them in the eye, have identifi__cation ready, smile, be cool. And for God's sake, don't say anything unless you absolutely have to. _

Edward held Bella's hand too tightly, but she didn't say anything because it was obvious he needed the anchor. On his shoulder was the strap to his duffel bag, and behind him were Alice and Jasper. They stood out of the way while Bella directed Edward to the right line.

He let her go, only because his hand was cramping. He watched her stretch her fingers and said he was sorry for holding on to her the way he did.

"I didn't mind." Bella turned around to push her bag with her foot as the line moved forward in a sluggish zigzag.

When it was their turn at the counter, Bella had every intention of speaking for both of them, but Edward started first. "Hi, it's both of us. I mean we're traveling together – to D.C. For fun. Oh, I'm Edward Cullen, here's my identification. And this is Bella S-Cullen. She's my wife."

The counter agent stared, blank faced, as Bella slid her fake ID over. To her credit, Bella said nothing about his ramble, but whether it was coming later Edward wasn't sure. Bella got her ID back and stuck it in her front pocket.

"Checking any bags?"

"No," they said together.

"All right, you'll be departing from gate 41. The line for security is to your right."

They met up with Alice and Jasper to say goodbye. Alice got on her toes and clutched Edward as tightly as she could, whispering that she loved him and that he'd better stay safe.

She hugged Bella next and in a trembling voice, she said, "You bring my brother back here soon."

When Alice pulled away, she again ordered them to have a safe trip and quick return. Alice held on until Edward and Bella walked to security, and then she turned around and cried.

…

_Thursday afternoon…_

"I'll get it," Alice said to no one. She went to the door, knowing it was the delivery from Rosalie that Edward was dreading.

He said he would do it, of course. But now he was nervous and when he was nervous, he got agitated. Bella was outside with him.

"You don't have to. We've gotten this far, Rosalie and I can figure out another way." Bella was all but begging him at that point to say no.

"I said I'd do it." Edward snapped, an apology on his lips just as quickly.

Bella sat down next to him and ran her fingers through his hair. He had cabin fever, so did she. They needed to get the hell out of there.

Edward made an appreciative sound at the feel of her hand. "I wish we could go somewhere else."

Bella smiled. "You read my mind."

"Where would we go?"

She looked up, thinking about it. "Mexico? Paris? Milwaukee?"

"Anywhere?"

Bella nodded. "Anywhere."

Alice poked her head out the top half of the Dutch door. "Hey you guys, it's here."

…

The line at security moved at a snail's pace. Edward had his shoes and sweatshirt off, and his laptop and liquids bag out before they were even in sight of the metal detectors. When they were closer Bella pulled off her boots, using Edward's arm for balance.

They put their things on the belt and she handed her boarding pass to the security guard. Edward wondered how she managed to do it all so smoothly. She passed through, collected her things, and sat at a bench to put her shoes back on. Edward had to be patted down because of some forgotten change in his pocket.

He met her at the bench. "Forty-one is this way." She said. Bella walked fast and Edward had to hurry despite the height advantage.

She _was_ nervous, he realized. This whole thing was how she showed it. She became quiet and serious and solitary. He added it to his Bella list and then caught up and took her hand. It slowed her down enough that they walked side by side.

…

_Thursday afternoon…_

Bella opened the seal and peeked inside, unsure of what she might find. Right away, she noticed a passport. She pulled everything out while Edward waited next to her, his heel bouncing. On the coffee table, her phone went through its cycle of rings.

"Man, she's fast." Alice commented.

Bella called Rosalie back. "Got it." She picked up Edward's new ID. "Who is Masen Kent? Or do I not want to know?"

"Well, I was using it up until recently. As far as everyone else knows, Mr. Kent is a dot com kid from California that likes to spend a lot of money. Oh, do you get it, by the way? Kent, like Clark."

Edward reached for the passport and when he opened it something else fell out, a shiny black credit card. He handed it back to Bella, who flipped it back and forth in her free hand.

"Why the credit card?"

"Morrissey's gonna have to get a suit and I have a feeling neither of you can afford what he needs for this."

"Rosalie -,"

"Save it, will you, just use the damn thing. It's in Kent's name and everything." Rosalie shuffled something around on her end. "Okay, there's a sheet of paper in there with some other stuff – safe hotels in the city, some information for Edward to remember. I have no idea what they'll ask him so make sure he reads it. There's a little bit about the guy that referred him, too. Oh, and then the invite."

Bella picked that up from her lap. It was black and hardly larger than a business card, but carried weight. She ran her fingertips over the silver ink and felt the indentations of the simple font.

_The Elite Invites You_

This was written at the top, followed by an address Bella didn't recognize.

"There's one more thing…,"

"What's that?" Bella handed the invitation to Edward.

"He's gonna have to go in alone."

"_What?_ Not gonna happen."

"Listen, I talked to my guy. They're not going to let you in; they won't even let Edward in if he brings you. How do you think they keep whatever they're doing a secret? If you want a shot at answers, he's got to do it alone."

Bella mumbled an expletive which got Alice and Edward's attention.

After another few minutes, Rosalie wrapped things up. "Okay, go through everything. Call if you need to, I'll be up. Oh, and Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"Time to get on that plane."

…

Bella leaned her head on the closed door of the bathroom stall. There was about twenty minutes until she and Edward were scheduled to board. She counted to four on an inhale, and then another four on an exhale. _I can do this._

…

_Thursday evening…_

"What's the one called when you have three that are the same and two that are the same?" Alice asked.

Edward shook his head and grinned. "A full house."

"Oh, well that's what I have."

Bella tossed her cards down. "That's some beginner's luck you've got."

Edward gathered the cards and shuffled. Bella watched his hands.

"I get to pick the next game." Alice said.

They played two hands of Bullshit and another four of Gin before Jasper came back. He'd been gone for most of the day, off to get Bella's new ID. In the interim, they'd gotten tickets to a flight landing in Dulles the next day.

Bella had taken Edward aside to tell him what Rosalie said and his reaction was surprisingly placid. He went back to the couch and grabbed the license, passport, invitation, and fact sheet and started reading. Within the hour, he had it all memorized. He asked Bella to quiz him like he was preparing for an exam.

After a while, Alice couldn't stand it anymore so she pulled out the cards.

…

They boarded the plane and Bella took an inventory of all the faces to see if there was even one she recognized. There wasn't. And no one appeared to recognize her. Regardless, she lowered her eyes until she'd taken her seat by the window. Edward sat next to her and for the moment, the aisle seat remained empty.

"Are you all right?" He asked, knowing she wasn't.

"Mm-hmm." Bella looked out the window at the people driving and running around in orange vests. She wondered what their lives were like.

After a while, the flight took off and she pushed the window shade down. Edward watched her struggle to get comfortable for a minute until he realized what she was doing. "You can use my shoulder, if you want. If you're trying to sleep, I mean."

Her eyes moved from his face to his shoulder and then she said thank you.

Edward tilted his head back against the rigid chair. "I've never really been able to sleep on planes, too many people."

Normally, she couldn't either, but his sweatshirt smelled good and she was so tired. She pressed the side of her face into it and then, blessedly, fell asleep.

…

_Thursday night…_

Bella Cullen lived in Newport Beach, California. She was married and an organ donor and had never been on the run from anything in her life. She also took a nice picture.

"The holograph is there and it'll scan too, so you shouldn't have any problems."

"Thanks, Jasper." She looked at it again. She wanted to be this Bella.

They went to bed not long after, and not long after that, there was a soft knock on Bella's door. She opened it and found a very nervous looking Alice. "Hey, is everything okay?"

"Can I talk to you?" It was clear she was pretty far from okay.

Alice sat on the bed and spent a lot of time folding a crease into the front of her pants; they had butterflies on them.

"What's wrong?"

"Bella, I -," she fixed the crease again and then let go. "I want you to tell Edward he can't go with you."

Alice was crying now, Bella could see the shine of tears on her cheek.

"Oh God," she mumbled, twisting her pant leg again. "I'm such a shitty person -,"

"No, you're -,"

"I am, Bella. I just – I don't want him to go. Please, _please_ don't take him with you. I'm sorry, I hate myself for asking you to do it alone, but I can't lose my brother. There's got to be some other way, something that'll keep you both safe?" Her question was desperate and she knew it didn't have a happy answer. She kept going anyway. "He's not like you. He'll get hurt, or -," or other things she couldn't voice.

Bella couldn't find it in herself to be upset because she would do the same thing if their positions were reversed. She'd always thought that Edward was too good to be around her. Bella cleared her throat. "I can't make up his mind for him."

Alice looked up, about to beg.

"But I can try, okay?"

Alice leaned forward, hugging Bella tightly. She left tears in her hair. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "_I'm so sorry_."

When the house was quiet again, Bella got up. She was going to wait until the morning, but found the hours until then too long. She left her room and found herself at Edward's door. He answered quickly enough that she guessed he wasn't sleeping either.

The guest room was small, with a daybed half the size of the one Bella slept on. But it had a green bedspread that matched Edward's eyes and there was a big window that let in enough moonlight to see by.

He sat near his pillow and waited for her to start.

"Edward, I've been thinking. And…I think you should stay here." She put a hand up when he tried to protest. "I'm going to need help from someone that's not in the thick of it," she lied. "I'm not saying you can't help, you can – just not from D.C."

"This doesn't sound like you."

_Shit_. She wasn't adept at lying to him. "It is. You can do more from here -," shit, she thought again. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't."

"You can't promise that. Edward, you have things here and people that love you and I won't take you away from that." She tried not to imagine the life she'd be taking him away from.

"Bella, did you know that aside from Alice and Jasper, I don't know another person in this state? I don't have this life you think I have. I'm either in the lab, or I'm home. There's not much in between. You aren't ruining anything."

"What about the possibility of something? I could be ruining that."

"You're talking like we aren't going to make it out of Washington."

She swallowed, shrugged.

"I'm coming with you."

"No."

"Yes." He'd decided to go with her the moment she kissed him in the university quad.

She tried one more time, but she could feel herself losing already. "Edward, Alice and Jasper love you. I know they don't want to see anything happen to you."

"Well, I don't want to see anything happen to you. We'll work better in the same place." He looked down because he couldn't say the next thing and meet her eyes. "Besides, you need me."

Bella smiled, though he wouldn't see it. Yeah, she thought, she did.

They talked for a while longer until Bella gave up the hope he would stay and her vision started to go fuzzy. Edward memorized everything she said about what to expect; she said it to deter him, but he used it to learn. He wanted to be an asset and there was no way he was going to be the reason something went wrong. But he was getting tired now and found it more and more difficult to tune in.

Apropos of nothing, she said, "You're very stubborn." Her eyes were closed and she was leaning back against the wall enough that she was almost lying down.

"You are too," he remembered it from his Bella list. "You should go to sleep; you're going to have a back ache if you stay like that."

She hummed and her muscles burned as she sat up.

His sleepiness made him bold and he asked her to stay. She crawled under the covers where it was warm and brushed his hand by accident, but didn't move away from him.

…

Someone was saying her name too close to her ear. Go away, she thought. _Leave us alone._

"Bella," he tried again and this time, she opened her eyes. "Hey," he said. "We're here."

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks to my pre-readers, present readers, and to the ladies at the Fictionators for their awesome review and the subsequent bump in readership. I heart you guys.

They're in D.C. now; Rosalie's in D.C. Hmm...


End file.
